What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
by HobbitChik
Summary: A teenage girl in the Ward gets sent to work on a farm until an unexpected visitor takes her on to be his apprentice. Going through adventures only lead to one question to be asked: what could possibly go wrong? you'd be surprised with what could.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey all! This is my first fanfic so please be nice but review and be critical, its helpful. This intro is boring and I apologize but it'll ramp up and get better. Enjoy!**

Redmont was experiencing a snowy, wet winter and a new layer was falling. The Ward's choosing day was in a week and the Ward was abuzz with the upcoming apprenticing. Steve, Herbert, Kyle, Mary and Ella were the 15 year olds who were being apprenticed. Steve was evidently going to be a scribe, Herbert a battle school apprentice, Kyle would be a horse master, Mary would be a lawyer and deal with foreign affairs. Ella had no clue what she was going to do. She wanted to be a horse master's apprentice because she knew Ulf so well, she could cook well enough, write well enough, fight well enough, and could debate well; but that was mostly with her fists. Ella didn't even dare think about being a Ranger's apprentice; but with her quick movements, quietness about her, and her explosive temper made it sort of clear that that was the road she was heading down.

Herbert, for the last couple weeks, had been teasing Ella about her anger and size. Finally, at lunch one day, Ella threw the first punch at Herbert's face. They tumbled out of the Ward and outside to continue the fight.

Around the corner of Castle Redmont in the courtyard, the fight was in progress. Ella, a petit girl for being 15, was battling it out with Herbert, a bigger one of her Ward mates. All the other ward kids were surrounding the scuffle, cheering it on.

Ella threw a punch at Herbert's neck, which he blocked with his meaty arm. Ella blocked her stomach when Herbert tried to get her in the stomach. He kicked at Ella's knees, who jumped over it and, in the process, kicking Herbert in the face. He fell back as Ella landed on the ground again.

"Don't judge me by my size and don't doubt me ever again," Ella spat at Herbert, who was holding his nose that was bleeding. She walked out of the circle that surrounded the fight and headed for the barn. When she passed, the people stepped back from her and patted her on the shoulder and back in congratulations.

Upon arriving at the barn, Ulf greeted her and looked Ella up and down. "Gotten in another fight have you?" he asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.

"Yes, but I didn't inflict too much injury this time," Ella explained, pulling her shorter auburn hair into a low ponytail.

"When will you ever learn," Ulf replied, under his breath as Ella went down to a stall.

"Not sure, but soon hopefully, I'm exhausted," Ella replied over her shoulder.

Ulf looked down at Ella, wondering how she heard his remark. He shrugged the thought off and went back to polishing the leather tack.

Ella was assigned to ride a smaller battle horse named Ace. He was a chestnut and had a small diamond on his forehead, but no other markings. Ella came to the door to Ace's stall and pulled the halter off of its hook and unlatched the stall. Ace came over and sniffed at Ella's pockets, but finding that she didn't have any, he turned back to his hay.

"Hey boy, how are you today?" Ella always talked to her horses before she rode them. Ace didn't seem like he could be a battle horse because he was small and didn't have that craziness that most of the other battle horses possessed. This wasn't the first time Ella had ridden Ace, so she knew what to do and how to do it. Ella didn't talk much nor did she have many friends in the Ward, but at the barn she came alive and let her true self come out in her riding.

She groomed and tacked Ace up and led him out to the arena. Kyle was out working one of the bigger battle horses at the other end of the arena. Ella worked Ace at the walk, trot and canter to develop his frame so that he could be better controlled when on a loose rein from the knights. At the end of her ride, when she was cooling Ace out, Kyle rode up next to her, "Do you think you'll be apprenticed to Ulf?"

Ella glanced down at Ace's shoulder and replied, "I hope so. But if you get in, why would he need another?"

"Well, you are good with them, " Kyle replied, motioning to Ace and his horse, "and they are well tempered when you ride them."

"But, I don't think I'm strong enough. Ulf hasn't ever asked me to ride the big boys and even if he does, it's to get them cooled down," Ella commented.

"You still have just as good a chance as I do. You won't be on a farm, I swear," Kyle joked.

"Well, that's a relief," Ella joined in.

Kyle chuckled and walked off with his horse to the gate. Kyle was one of the few who liked Ella enough to claim to be a friend of hers. He was tall, but not lanky, with short, spiky brown hair. He was very nice and funny and tried to calm Ella down when she got mad. Too bad he missed the fight today, Ella thought as she dismounted Ace.

As Ella was leading Ace up the path back to the barn, she sensed that someone was watching her. It wasn't Ulf, because he usually made himself known by giving pointers now and then; this watching sense felt secret and almost dangerous. Ella quickened her step and glanced over her shoulder quickly. Ace's ears weren't pointed forward or swiveling, so Ella guessed that the feeling was nothing, but she didn't let her guard down.

Returning to the barn, she was greeted by Baron Arald, Herbert and the Baron's secretary. Ella met each one's gaze and gave Herbert her evil eye that made the toughest men squirm in her gaze. Herbert broke the stare first and Ella smiled slightly to herself as she led Ace into his stall. Quickly, she untacked Ace and threw his sheet on him so he wouldn't get a chill.

"Hello boys," Ella greeted them all as she carried the big saddle on one arm and the breast collar, bridle and girth on her other arm.

"So you got in another fight," Baron Arald said after he made it clear with his facial expression that Ella's greeting was unacceptable.

Ella shrugged at both suggestions, not in a snobby way but in a "what am I gonna do about it now?" sort of way.

"Why?" Arald pursued.

"Herbert's been making fun of me for the past couple of weeks, and I know I can't use words to get through his thick skull, so I just embedded my point in his head with my own hands," Ella explained, walking to the tack room, with the three men following her. Despite her sweet name, Ella was all about sarcasm, violence, and anger. Sometimes she was nice but that was rare for her. People just got on her nerves and if they just gave her some space, she'd be a lot more tolerant.

"That was rude and you should never do it again. Apologize to Herbert so we can get on with our day," Arald went through the same lecture Ella got every time she was in a fight.

Ella sighed and turned to Herbert, "I'm sorry Herbert, for rearranging your face, and embarrassing you in front of everyone."

Herbert sighed as well, "I accept your apology," and he walked out of the barn with an unbelievable amount of arrogance.

"Ella, Ella, Ella," Arald shook his head, "Why do you do this so often?"

"I- its- well-," Ella tried to explain but couldn't find the right words. She groaned slightly at her not being able to explain.

"This had better shape up before the Choosing this weekend," Arald scolded before he left the barn as well. His secretary followed him like a dog at his heels.

**Did you like it? i need feedback people to know if my story is good. R&R plz**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to all who reviewed and added this to their alerts. I didn't think it would happen but I'm reassured now by your lovely feedback:) This chapter is still short but it works. And I'm sorry for Ella's anger issues and all the horse stuff. **

**Idk if i need this but what the hay: Disclaimer: stuff from Rangers Apprentice ain't mine. **

Ella sighed heavily and put her hands on the back of her head, looking after the Baron and his secretary. Once they were out of the aisle and entered the snowy world, Ella turned her attention back to tending to Ace. She stood at the horse's door for a few moments and Ace looked up and her and snorted.

"Don't laugh, it's rude," she mumbled, but a smiled still played on her lips. She groomed Ace back to his red coat and made sure he wasn't damp with sweat. The last thing they needed was a sick horse. She fondled Ace's ears and left him to his hay. As Ella was walking down the aisle, she passed Kyle who was tacking up a different horse. Ella knew that Kyle took good care of the horses he rode, but she was still skeptical. Despite Ella's interference with the Baron, she always got done before Kyle, no matter what. He should still be grooming the horse he was riding earlier.

Before he could see Ella, she went back down the aisle to the battle horse that was being exercised earlier. He was buckskin with tall black stockings on all his legs. He was nearly 17 hands tall too. His name plate said "Titan." Looking over the stall door, she could see the sweat outlining the horse's black ears and eyes. She unlatched the door and stepped in slowly.

"Hey big boy, you okay?" she crooned softly as she approached the horse. The horse just stood there, his eyes half closed and ears slightly pinned. Normally, if a horse looked like that, he was relaxed; but this horse didn't have his lower lip limp so Ella knew something was wrong. His hay and grain was untouched and the water almost empty.

After looking around the stall, she went up to the horse. She placed her hand on Titan's neck and feel a slight quivering. She stroked him to tell him that she wasn't going to hurt him. Ella guided her hand under the blanket covering Titan. It was a freezing wet that was covering the poor horse. No wonder the blanket's darker than is should be, Ella thought angrily. She reached over Titan's door and grabbed the other blanket that was hanging on the door. She pulled to soaked one off the horse and threw the new, dry one on. Then she took the wet one with her down to the tack room, to hang in front of the stove to get dry.

Hearing a stall open, Ella looked out of the tack room to see Kyle make his way out to the arena. She ran after him and spooked his horse. The horse cantered a few paces in place then settled.

"What the heck, Kyle?" Ella practically yelled.

"What? What'd I do?" he replied, but not as loud as Ella.

"Do you even care about horses? I don't know what Ulf would do with a slacker like you," she said, quieting her voice for the horses sake.

"Yes as a matter of fact I do care about horses, and where'd you get the slacker thing from?" Kyle asked, stroking the horse next to him.

"Did you cool Titan out? Did you even groom him?" Ella questioned in a disgusted tone.

"Well, yeah of course I did," Kyle replied, but he wouldn't keep eye contact with Ella.

Ella could tell he was lying to her, "But, why would you do something so stupid?"

"I'm trying really hard to get this apprenticeship and riding all the horses I can. You know how it is don't you? Always stressed," he explained, sounding desperate.

"I do know, but I wouldn't take that out on a horse. Use your head next time, please," Ella said, exasperatedly.

"I'll try," Kyle replied, walking off with his mount.

"No, you will," Ella said after him, with a smile and tone that was threatening in itself that would result in great consequences.

"Sure," Kyle called over his shoulder.

Letting out an anger filled sigh, she turned her attention back to Titan. Again, that feeling that she was being watched came back to her. She wiggled the feeling away from all her limbs and shook her head to get the feeling away. Going back into the warmer barn, she smiled at her way of dealing with stuff: from being angry to wiggling free of a feeling.

Titan was now lying down, but thankfully he wasn't on his side. Ella rushed to the tack room to make a warm gruel for Titan. She sat on a chair in front of the fire as it heated up water. She didn't realize how cold she was until her fingers and nose started to thaw. Soon the water was bubbling and she poured it into a pan. She then got some oats and mixed them in with other ingredients that were used to help sick horses. It was soon mixed and she carried the pan to Titan's stall, who was standing up again.

He lifted his eyes to Ella then were downcast again. Ella set the pan on the ground and scratched Titan's neck as he picked at the warm gruel. It was slowly consumed and Titan laid down again, as Ella cleaned up the pan. The sun was starting to set when she returned back to Titan's stall. He was standing up again, but didn't move from his spot in the corner.

"Bye boy, I'll see you later, get well," Ella said to the big horse and headed up to the Castle ward.

She took one step outside and gasped at the cold air that hit her in the face. She let her hair out of its ponytail to offer some protection. The well worn path was easy to find from all the treks to and from the castle, and Ella followed it. Halfway to the Castle, it started to snow again. It fell silently in small flakes and tickled Ella's face.

That stupid feeling of being watched came back to her and she nearly screamed. She turned around abruptly and scanned the path and woods behind her. No one was in sight behind or in front of her, but Ella could swear someone was watching her.

Quickening her pace slightly, she reached to castle gate soon. She nodded to the guard and he let her through. The sun had set and it was getting darker by the minute. She jogged to the ward door and opened it smoothly. She went to her room to change into warmer clothes. She changed into pants and a long sleeve shirt that was fitted. She ran a brush through her hair and then made her way to the ward's kitchen. All the younger kids were off to their rooms and only the teenagers were left. Kyle was sitting with Steve, Herbert, and Mary. Ella was disgusted by him even more to see that he was here earlier than she was.

He probably didn't take care of the other horses he rode either, Ella thought, annoyed. She sat down beside Mary and tried to follow their conversation. Evidently it was something Ella didn't care about. She stood up to get some food from the kitchen. There was still food from the dinner so she took that and retreated to her room. She ate alone and thought about the Choosing, Titan, Kyle and that feeling of being watched. When she was done eating , and thinking, she took her dishes back to the kitchen to wash them.

The other groups had departed and the dining area was practically vacant, except for the 5 who were going into the Choosing. Ella sat in between Mary and Steve, away from the boy she had beaten up and the boy who hurt a horse.

"Oh! Hi Ella!" Mary greeted her. Mary was always polite to Ella and knew when to stay away from Ella when she was in a bad mood. Ella respected Mary and went to her to have girl time when she needed it most. Although Mary was a serious person, she always had room in her day to goof off and have fun with Ella.

"Hello," Ella greeted them all.

"Where have you been all day?" Mary pursued.

"I was down at the stables, shocker I know," Ella replied, with a hint of sarcasm but not enough to offend anyone.

"Oh yeah, Kyle was telling us how you yelled at him for no reason," Herbert threw in, just to spite Ella.

"Meh, I did yell at you, Kyle, but for the benefit of another who couldn't but would if they could," Ella replied, cynically. Ella could see Herbert and Kyle trying to figure out her wording.

"Psht, you go girl!" Mary high fived Ella and Steve snickered.

"So, what happened to the horse?" Steve asked, evidently curious.

"His sweat was practically frozen to his hair, he was sweating even more, he was shivering, he drank ice water after not getting cooled out enough," Ella explained, counting Titan's symptoms on her fingers.

"Jerk," Mary murmured under breath so only Steve and Ella could hear.

"Whatever, Ella. I know more about horses than you ever will know. Don't get on my case about how to take care of the beasts, it's beginners basics, and that apprenticeship, it's mine," Kyle said, rising from his chair.

"Fine," Ella replied evenly, trying to hide her rising annoyance.

Herbert followed Kyle out so only Steve, Ella and Mary were in the dining room.

"So, are you and Kyle not best buds anymore?" Steve asked, starting to rise himself.

"I guess not," Ella replied, after a short silence.

"Well, I'm sorry," Steve apologized, patting Ella on the shoulder. "I'm off to bed, I'm tired. See you ladies in the morning."

"Night, Steve," Ella and Mary said in unison.

"I hope that horse is alright. Kyle can be such a jerk sometimes, but I'm sure Ulf is taking great care of the horse, right?" Mary voiced, not knowing that realization was setting in Ella.

"Crap! I didn't tell him!" Ella exclaimed, jumping out of her chair and almost knocking it down. "I've gotta go."

"Oh, okay, well, I'll see you tomorrow!" Mary called after Ella, confused, as she raced out of the dining room to her room.

Ella changed into her warm pants, a long sleeved shirt, a green hat, and her cloak pulled tight around her. She raced out the Ward door and ran blindly down the path to the stables. Ella saw a small flicker of movement out of her eye when she reached the sliding barn door and opened it. _Don't get in my way_, she thought aggressively.

**R&R? i appreciate your service:)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright people, i know you're reading this so simply click the little review button and no hard feelings. Any type of review is pleasant. Not much happens but the story will pick up eventually so bear with me. Enjoy! =)**

Ella changed into her warm pants, a long sleeved shirt, a green hat, and her cloak pulled tight around her. She raced out the Ward door and ran blindly down the path to the stables. Ella saw a small flicker of movement out of her eye when she reached the sliding barn door and opened it. _Don't get in my way_, she thought aggressively.

Inside the stable, it smelled of warm hay and horses. A couple of horses popped their heads over the tops of their stalls to whinny at her. Obeying the rules, Ella walked down to Titan's stall. He was lying down, with traces of him rolling. His water bucket was empty, his hay untouched and his grain disturbed slightly. His rug was damp with sweat so Ella urged Titan to stand so she could change it. Once the big buckskin was up, she quickly tore off his rug, gave him a rub down with a rag, and threw on his wind and water resistant blanket. Before she put his blanket on, she listened to his belly and found that there were no stomach sounds. _It's intestinal_, she concluded. Clipping on his halter, she lead him out of his stall and the barn.

Titan walked stiffly and slowly. Ella talked to him as they walked down to the arena, encouraging him and keeping him calm. The wind wasn't blowing too hard, but there was a brisk winter breeze that swayed the smaller trees and sent snow falling off small branches and bushes. Once they reached the arena, they were sheltered from the breeze slightly because the arena was below some low hills. Titan loosened his muscles up and walked better alongside Ella. She continued to talk to Titan and mosey alongside the big horse. Ella only came up to the middle of Titan's shoulder, about 8 inches from his withers.

After walking about an hour and a half, Ella changed directions across the diagonal. She could feel herself getting tired and wanting to rest. She talked to Titan more, about the Choosing mostly. When she ran out of things to rant about, she spelled her name in the vast arena.

"Okay, Titan, I'm tired and I'm sure you are too, so let's rest a little while," Ella sighed, leading Titan over to the rail at the far side of the arena. Titan shook his head and rubbed Ella on the shoulder with his big head. "Good boy."

Ella sat on the ground, leaning against a fence post. Titan stood docilely by, switching his tail back and forth. A strong gust rippled through the arena, shaking snow off branches. A pile fell behind where Ella was sitting and Titan spooked. He flicked his head up and trotted a few paces away, pulling Ella to her feet. She gave him a look and he looked at her, the laziness and pain out of them almost completely. She went to his head and unclipped Titan's halter. Titan flipped his monstrous head out of the halter and shook his mane. Ella smiled and shooed him away. Titan took off trotting in front of Ella and stopped abruptly.

"Just don't hurt yourself," Ella said to Titan.

He seemed to understand and took off at a decent paced trot up and down the track. Ella stayed where she was so she could observe Titan. He seemed fine and had no complications that she could see.

For a few minutes, she closed her eyes and didn't open them until she felt a fuzzy muzzle on her neck. She looked up into the eyes of Titan, as if saying: _What are you doing down there silly? I'm up here!_ She took hold of his forelock and he helped her to her feet. The smile that was on her face, was wiped off when a wave of feeling over came her. She felt that she wasn't alone, and that someone was off to her left in the woods. Titan flicked his ears in the same direction the feeling came from and Ella knew something was over there. In her head, she debated whether or not to investigate it. She went with not because it didn't feel threatening, just awkward.

Titan pulled Ella's hood to get her attention back to him. Ella scratched Titan's ears and walked on the other side of the unknown eyes. Titan followed obediently, but Ella could sense he wanted to do more. After walking around twice, Ella quickened her pace so that Titan could trot. Titan was excited to go faster and trotted with flashy hooves and an impulsion to his step.

Ella could not help herself from smiling and giggling every so often. The night was growing young with the arrival of morning. The horizon was beginning to lighten ever so slowly over the past couple hours. After jogging a couple laps, Ella was physically tired and sweaty. Titan was perfectly fine, just as if he wasn't sick at all that last night. Taking a break, both for Ella and Titan, she took off her cloak and hat and draped them on the gate.

Feeling under Titan's blanket, he was dry and not breathing heavily. Ella took his blanket off and draped it on the gate next to her own. Titan shook his whole body, a sugar shake as Ella liked to call it, and kicked out. Ella laughed and Titan responded to her bell like laugh that he learned to love. The look he gave Ella was one of a silent "thank you" and Ella went up to the big horse and hugged his neck. Titan wrapped his head around her small frame as if to hug her back. Tears stung Ella's eyes and she buried her face in Titan's crusty hair; it was all salty now from the dried sweat. A tiny sob broke out of Ella and Titan snorted, as if to say, _don't be sad, be happy!_ Ella giggled and let go of the beastly horse, scratching him on his blaze.

Titan loped down to the end of the arena that Ella had dozed in, and picked up his halter. He plopped it down at Ella's feet, not to imply he wanted to go back inside, but Ella understood what Titan meant. "You're such a dog," Ella told him as she clipped his halter back on. She tied the lead rope like reins and flipped them over his head. Then she lead him to the fence, using it as a makeshift mounting block, and leapt onto Titan's back.

He wasn't as wide as Ella thought, but very tall and long. It felt amazing to feel the body of the horse beneath her legs. When Titan walked off, Ella could feel the muscles working under the thin skin of the battle horse. As if reading her mind, Titan broke into a smooth lope and followed Ella's quiet leg aids to do circles, lead changes, pirouettes, and leg yields, at all of the gaits. She brought Titan back to a walk and leaned on his neck, resting her hands on his moving shoulders. Titan walked steadily as to not let Ella fall. Ella had flash backs to the life she once lived before she was in Redmont, the Ward and on Titan right now.

Lulled by Titan's long walk stride, Ella stared off into space and forgot about the world around her. She sat up off his neck but was still in a dazed state. In one of the corners on the far side of the arena, something in the woods spooked Titan and he shied away from the rail. Ella lost her balance and groped for some mane but couldn't grasp any. She fell on her back with a thud and knocked the wind out of her. She laid on the ground, gasping, for several minutes. Titan stood beside his fallen rider and stood between whatever was in the bushes, on the other side of the fence, and Ella.

For a while, longer than she would've liked, Ella couldn't get her breath back. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a movement. Titan pinned his ears and backed away from Ella. She freaked out for a minute, fearing that a wild animal had entered the arena and was coming for the smaller meal than Titan.

"You okay?" a gruff, male voice asked, kneeling beside Ella.

**oooh! cliffy! haha not really. R&R? **


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, i didn't realize how popular this story would be. Thanks for all the reviews and story alert and favorites that ya'll have added. it means a lot to me. enough of me blabbering on; now, what you've all been waiting for!**

"Fine," Ella nodded and gasped.

"Here, sit up," the man said, helping Ella into a sitting position.

It helped and Ella could breathe again. "Thank you," she said finally, resting her head in her hands, not knowing who was with her still.

"Welcome, it was a stupid idea," he criticized.

Confused for a few minutes, Ella realized what he was referring to, "I know."

"Then why did you do it?" the man pursued.

Ella looked up at him finally and saw that he was a Ranger. He had peppery hair with flecks of grey and his beard was the same color too. He had green-grey eyes that matched his Ranger-ness. Ella had seen or heard of this man before but couldn't place the name. "I did it because I wanted too and Titan doesn't get enough love," Ella explained.

"You know that the Choosing is today, right?"

"Yes," Ella groaned, not wanting to think about it.

"What do you think you're going to be?" the ranger pressed. Ella wondered why he was still with her when she was perfectly fine from her fall.

"I have no idea. I can almost everything well and don't excel at anything better than another," Ella explained slowly, for she coughed often to stop her voice from trembling.

He looked at her trying to figure out what was going through her head. Ella thought about her situation deeper and had the worst case scenarios running through her mind. The tears escaped slowly and she wiped them off with her sleeve before they reached her chin.

She sighed, "Sorry."

The ranger only nodded, but looked at her in a fatherly way. Ella noticed that throughout their conversation and few minutes together, the Ranger's eyes softened from their normally hard glare to understanding.

"I think I should return Titan to his stall before anyone notices he's gone," Ella continued, after getting control of her emotions, barely.

Ella stood up and staggered a little bit from sitting down for so long. The ranger steadied her and let go of her elbow once she was balanced. She whistled and Titan came trotting up to her. He looked at Ella with his big warm brown eyes that melted Ella's heart. Knowing that the ranger was still behind her, she tried for the longest time to keep the tears in her. She led Titan towards the gate and looked over her shoulder; the ranger was gone, but Ella still said, "Thank you."

Getting Titan's blanket on and her own hat and cloak, she leaned into the battle horse's shoulder, and sighed, "I can't do this, Titan." She longed for the fatherly look the old ranger had given her. Ella knew she couldn't talk to any of her ward mates because they were all stressed about the Choosing and she wouldn't get any special treatment. Ulf was out of the question because he was more of a boss and not a friend. That left no one to take her problems too and they were all bottle up inside of her.

Feeling the cold creep into her bones, she stood up and took Titan's lead rope in her hands. They walked slowly along and Titan could sense something was wrong with his girl. He nibbled her shoulder to try and get her to smile; it worked. Ella glanced back at Titan, who quickly stopped and lifted his head, as if it were a game.

Ella could see the barn at the top of the slope and saw the morning sky brighten to a light blue, making the thin clouds have a pink lighting to them. The snow glistened like glitter and the hot breath from Titan's nostrils make a thick cloud of condensed air that got in the way of Ella's vision. She waved it away, only to have another blast take the other's place. The birds were starting to stir, a few cheeps could be heard from the depths of the branches on the cedar trees. _The woods are starting to wake up,_ she thought grinning slightly.

A couple hundred feet from the cobblestone walkway that lead to everywhere from the stables, Ella saw a big movement to her right, on the other side of Titan. The next thing she knew, Titan was rearing up, scared.

"Easy, boy!" Ella tried to calm him down while avoiding the thrashing hooves. She kept a hold on the lead to keep him from bolting, but got a rope burn across both her palms. The rope slid out of her grasp but Titan remained close to her, as if he were still connected to her. Titan spun around Ella to her left side so Ella was exposed to the movement that frightened Titan. She looked over at the woods but didn't register anything, for she was knocked to the ground by a large mass. The person was pinning her to the ground, holding her hands against her back. She could feel the person's knee jabbing into her lower back. The wind was knocked out of her a second time, but she didn't have the liberty of sitting up to get her breath back.

"You've committed a felony!" Ella heard a male voice yell at her. Ella turned her head to the other side, hoping to figure out who was on her and see if Titan was okay.

To her disbelief, Kyle was holding the rope connected to Titan. The big buckskin was freaking out even more now that his girl was in trouble. Kyle avoided the thrashing hooves but did nothing to stop Titan from his rearing. Titan stopped rearing for a moment, only to be backed up harshly by Kyle. He banged the halter against Titan's nose, giving the poor animal a rope burn on his face.

"Kyle! Stop it! You're scaring him!"Ella yelled at her friend. She tried to wriggle free from her captor's grasp. From the corner of her eye she could see that it was Herbert. "Get off me, jerk!" Ella tried to yell, but Herbert's knee dug deeper in to Ella's back, cutting her breath short.

"Stop moving and you won't get hurt," it wasn't Kyle's or Herbert's voice. Ella recognized it all too well.

"Ulf, what the hell! What did I do?" Ella tried to lift her head so she could yell at the horse master. That only led to Herbert smashing her face on the icy cobblestone again.

"You stole a battle horse, simple as that. And don't think you'll get special treatment because you're a girl or one of my workers," Ulf spat the last word at Ella, leaning over her. "You won't be going to the Choosing for this. You should've thought about what you were doing."

Ella mustered up her strength under Herbert's body and rolled onto her back, knocking Herbert onto the snow. He still had Ella's hands but at least she could breathe and stand up. "Titan was sick. I forgot to tell you. By the time I had told you, which was late in the evening, Titan could've been at the point where he wouldn't be able to heal. I did you a favor by taking a dead horse off your hands," Ella replied icily, incorporating as much hate in her voice as she could.

Ulf just shrugged, "Sorry, that's not a good enough excuse. We have to sell Titan now. Boys, you know what to do."

Kyle tied Titan to a hitching post and Titan reared and bucked more, trying to break free to help his girl. Herbert pulled out a rope and tied Ella's hands behind her back. The rope cut into her wrists and she could feel the warmth of her blood trickle slowly down her fingers. Kyle and Herbert took Ella by a shoulder each and shoved her into the barn. Titan saw them manhandling his girl and he flipped his head harshly, only to get a whipping from behind on his flank. Finally, he stopped his striking out and stood with his head and tail low, defeated.

In the barn, Kyle and Herbert threw Ella on the ground. She couldn't break her fall and fell on her shoulder, all the shock of the fall was on her shoulder and bruised instantly. A groan of pain escaped her and Herbert flicked the toe of his boot at her bruised shoulder. Ella positioned herself so she was leaning against a stall door, looking up at her Ward mates.

"What are you going to do to me?" Ella asked sarcastically.

The two boys exchanged a small glance and picked her up off the ground. Kyle kicked her legs apart and pressed her head against the wall. He then patted her up and down, looking for any weapons.

"Why on earth would I have a weapon?" Ella asked, incredulous at the two boys' way of working with a felon.

Thankfully, and to Ella's disbelief, they weren't rude to her and respected her. Kyle went back to her waist and pulled a sheath off Ella's belt.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Kyle said, letting Ella turn to see what he was holding.

"Cool! I didn't know you had a knife!" Herbert interjected, coming forward and taking it from Kyle. Herbert pulled it out of its small sheath to find a small folded knife. He looked at it, confused, for a moment. Then he flicked it and the blade shot out of it. At that moment, Ella felt a sharp pain in her other arm and the feeling of her flesh splitting apart. The pain was so sudden that she let her feet slip out from under her so she was sitting again.

"Herbert, you idiot!" Ella shouted, doing the instinctive thing to press on the gash; but her hands were still tied behind her, and the rope only cut into her more.

"Whoops," was all Herbert replied. It wasn't an apologetic "whoops" just a "sucks for you" whoops.

"Well, I think our work here is done, pal. See you at the Choosing, Ella," Kyle said, turning to leave, "or not I guess," he called over his shoulder as he and Herbert walked out of the stable. Herbert tossed the flipping knife on the ground beside Ella.

Ella looked after them and felt the warm ooze of her blood trickle down her arm. She felt sick, from not eating, not sleeping and the multiple pains on her. When Herbert and Kyle opened the big sliding barn door, they didn't close it all the way so Ella could see out. Titan was still tied to the hitching post, looking like a defeated animal about to be butchered.

Taking a deep breath, Ella stood up and limped to the barn door. She slid out the small gap and made her way over to Titan. He pricked his ears and gave a low wicker. Ella ignored it and kept limping. She got lightheaded and fell to her knees on the snow. The pain in her arms was worse than the cold, wet snow that was soaking her clothes. She saw black and fell face first in the white blanket.

In the woods, Halt had seen the struggle with the boys, Ulf and that girl he had been scouting for Gilan. He was impressed with the way the girl, Ella, handled the situation. She didn't show signs of weakness and chose her words carefully based on the situation.

When they had disappeared into the barn, Halt made his move to see what was going on inside the barn. That's when he saw Ulf beat his horse that was tied and rearing. A wave of hatred and anger swept over Halt and he had to stifle it, only thinking of Ella.

Ulf, done with his beatings, turned up the path to the Castle, leaving the big horse standing outside. Halt slipped into the dimly lit stable, hood up and cloak pulled around him, and stood quietly in a dark corner to watch the boys and Ella.

He got worried when they did the pat down but was glad the horse boy did it as opposed to the big brute. Halt thought that the horse boy respected Ella better and he could see the pain on the horse boy's face as he was throwing her around.

The horse boy pulled out a small object from Ella's waist and Halt observed that it was a flipping knife. His hypothesis was soon proved when Ella fell to the ground and she winced in pain.

"Herbert you idiot!" Ella yelled at the brute.

The two boys said a few parting words and left Ella on the ground. Halt stood by while they exited, not even aware he was five feet from them. Looking at Ella still, he wondered why she wasn't trying to stop the bleeding in her arm, when she rose and limped down the aisle to the barn door. Her wrists were tied together and bleeding from the rope, as he noticed when she passed. She glanced in Halt's direction but he stood still and waited for her to pass.

He followed behind Ella a few feet back and walked silently after her. In a moment, Ella was on the ground. The horse that was tied freaked out once more. Halt glided over to the horse and untied him. He led the horse over to Ella and dropped the rope, knowing he'd stand there.

Halt stood over Ella, who was unconscious on the ground. First he untied her hands. Then he assessed her injuries and slipped her into his arms. Titan followed after him to a grove of dense trees. It was fairly untouched by the snow, just a trace of it. He set her down so she was propped up against a tree. Thinking for a moment, Halt went over to Titan, who was grazing on some grass that was peaking over the thin layer of snow, and took his blanket off. After wrapping Ella up in it, he disappeared in the direction of his cabin.

Walking with haste, for it was too deep of snow to run, he thought about Ella's situation. She had committed a crime, beaten people up numerous times, and didn't necessarily have a strong point that stuck out. Halt didn't want her to be sentenced to a life on the farm, there's no way she could handle that; as he had observed in the last four months.

Reaching his cabin, he was greeted by Abelard and Tug, who were enjoying their freshly thrown hay. _Will must be up_, he thought to himself as he passed the paddock and stepped onto the porch. Inside, it was warm and it smelled of breakfast and coffee. _Another day without coffee,_ Halt thought as he went past the steaming pot to his room.

"Hey Halt!" Will called from his room on the other side of the small house. "Where have you been?"

"Ella got in a little bit of trouble this morning," Halt explained simply, coming out of his room with a small box.

"What kind of trouble this time?" Will asked as if he'd heard that explanation a million times before.

"Unconscious in the woods and has multiple gashes. She lost this one," Halt replied, going past the coffee once more and going out the door.

Will followed his mentor out the door but stayed on the porch, "Need any help?"

"No, not this time. We've gotta get her off to the Choosing today," Halt called over his shoulder.

Will shrugged and went back into the warm cabin.

When Halt arrived back to where he had left Ella, she was still unconscious. Taking this opportunity, he cut the sleeve off on the arm that got sliced to see if it was deep. It was. He opened his box and took out a little jar with numbing goo and dabbed it on the perimeter of the cut. Then he withdrew a small needle and thread. He sewed it together in a few minutes and tied a loose cloth around it with a cooling ointment to keep the pain at ease.

_Now we wait_, he thought, leaning against a tree opposite Ella. He watched her sleep, all curled up in the horse's big blanket. She looked so innocent and pure when she slept and he tried to figure out why she acted the way she did. _Someone so small and cute shouldn't be a $$ kicker_, he thought.

Titan laid down close to Ella so his muzzle was barely touching her knee. Halt sat on the ground with his cloak pulled tight around him. He glanced up at the sky through the intertwined tree branches to see the position of the sun. It was almost mid morning, the time of the Choosing.

Ella shifted her position so her shoulder was propped against the tree. It touched her bruise and, sadly, she was taken out of sleep and into the world. She groaned at the pain in both of her arms and looked down at her freed wrists. Blinking a couple of times to clear her fogged head, she looked up. _Well wouldn't you know_, she thought to herself. She then realized where she was and the position of the sun.

"Crap! What time is it?" she exclaimed.

"Mid morning. You still have a little while before the Choosing," the ranger replied, his face in shadow from his hood.

**Not the best ending, i apologize. R&R?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay people, i know you read this thing and apparently its decent because lots of people have read it. c'mon, give a person some love; a simple review is all it takes and it's not that hard as i discovered only a few weeks ago;) i could threaten you all but i don't see where that'd get us. Its your choice, i'm just making a suggestion:) okay, enough of me, on with the story!**

Ella let out a sigh of relief and leaned her head back against the tree. Titan stood up and did a sugar shake, covering Ella in dust. She smiled and brushed it off her pants. The two of them sat there in the shelter of the cedars. Ella thought about how her day had gotten off to a bad start and how it was about to get worse. Her thoughts trailed from the Choosing to last night with Titan. Out of the blue, the name hit her like a rock. _Duh! The Ranger's name Halt! I'm so dumb_, she thought.

"So, do you think I'll be good work on a farm?" Ella broke the silence with the statement. It wasn't a question but she said it with light sarcasm.

"What makes you say that?" Halt replied evenly.

"I can't do anything well, I 'stole' a horse," she put air quotes around the word, "I've hurt people and I have no clue what I want to do," she explained, feeling the frustration rise in her.

Halt looked long and hard at the small girl in front of him. He could see the frustration in her eyes and how she was trying to keep it contained. After the frustration eased slightly, he could see that Ella was in pain.

Ella felt the anger flare in her and she did her best to contain it. The last thing she wanted to do was blow up in front of a famous figure. She felt her feelings begin to envelope her and she tried to calm herself mentally. That failed and her next instinct was in action. Her right hand held onto her left arm below her elbow. Then she dug her nails into her skin until she felt the anger slowly seep away. It was still there but not all of it was bottled up.

Confused by her action, Halt stood up and came over to Ella. "I don't think you'll want to look like that when you go see the Craft masters and the Baron," he said gruffly, but quietly.

Ella looked up at him with her green eyes and Halt felt a strange feeling inside him. Her eyes were screaming at him. They were pained and tired and begged him to leave her where she was. And the worst was that they were on the verge of letting tears spill out of them. Surprised by the feeling, he tried to stifle it; not wanting to go into a chapter of his life he had kept closed for many years.

Sighing, Ella stood up, "You're probably right." She dropped Titan's blanket and looked around her, "Where's my cloak and hat? And my sleeve?"

"They took it from you when you were getting checked. Your cut was bad," Halt explained, taking her by the elbow to keep her from falling again.

Ella nodded, her eyelids half closed, as they had been since she woke up. She tried to take a step but swayed from side to side. "Ugh, I'm exhausted," she whispered, too tired to talk.

"Here, just sit down. The Choosing can wait, it's not that important," Halt said, helping Ella back to the ground.

Ella had a good come back but didn't have the strength to voice it. Leaning against her tree again, she could feel the 30 hours of being awake catch up with her. Halt covered Ella with Titan's blanket again and sat beside her.

"Are you mad at me?" Ella asked, breaking a long silence.

"No, not at all," Halt replied, confused about the sudden question. "Go to sleep, I'll wake you in a little bit."

Content with the answer, Ella rested her head on Halt's shoulder. He smelled like the forest and snow. Quickly she was in a deep sleep, breathing evenly. Halt felt that weird feeling inside him again and tried hard to ignore it and shove it away.

Half an hour later, Ella started to stir. In her dream, she was galloping Titan on an open plain but it wasn't a joyful outing. She looked under her arm back at what was chasing her: a large black mass was tumbling after her in a river rapid sort of way. Around her, Mary, Steven, Kyle, Herbert and a few cloaked Rangers were there, pulling ahead of Ella. Titan was losing steam and falling back, shortening the space between them and the Darkness. It incinerated the trees and houses it swept through, getting ready to consume its next victims. One by one, her friends were consumed by the mass so only herself and Titan were left. She urged Titan on but he fell, throwing Ella on the stony ground. She could hear Titan's scream as the Darkness devoured the horse. Trying with all her might, she tried to stand up and run but it felt like something heavy was keeping her pinned to the ground. Just as the Darkness was at her feet, she heard an evil, throaty laugh.

Ella was jolted awake, disoriented for only a second. Thankfully, Titan was dozing in a small patch of sunlight and Halt was there.

Halt saw the fear in her eyes and face but didn't comment. He let Ella catch her breath before he spoke, "Ready?"

Groaning, Ella nodded and stood up. She took Titan's blanket off of herself and threw it over the dozing battle horse. He opened his eyes and looked at her like: _good morning sunshine! Took you long enough, I was getting cold! _Ella smiled and clipped it to around Titan's chest.

"I'll take him back to the barn. You get up to the Castle so you're not that late," Halt said, taking Titan's lead rope from Ella.

"Thank you," she said smiling and patted Titan on the nose then ran out of the trees and up the path to the Castle.

Halt looked after her, thinking about how she reminded him of a part of his life he'd been trying to forget for decades. Titan nudged him with his grey muzzle to break Halt from his daze. "C'mon boy, let's see who we got mad this time," the grim ranger said quietly as he led the horse from the trees.

Ella was out of breath by the time she got to the Baron's study. Her ward mates were just starting to enter and she took her spot at the end behind Steve. He gave her a look and whispered, "Where have you been? You look terrible."

"Thanks," Ella replied in a gentle sarcastic way.

The five of them entered the study and stood before the Baron and the Craft-masters. Baron Arald looked the teenagers up and down and took a double take of the girl on the end. One of her sleeves was missing, which revealed a carefully stitched gash; her face was scraped on both cheeks with a black eye; there were pine needles in her hair; and she wasn't wearing appropriate clothing for the Choosing, just pants and a long sleeve shirt and old boots.

Ella could tell that the Baron was taking her appearance in and she just stood there, thinking about Titan and his rhythmic canter. She nodded her head slightly to the rhythm of it as well.

"Ah, well, good to see you all this morning. Let's get this show on the road," Baron Arald announced.

They went down the line, all the ward kids saying which craft they wanted to be apprenticed to. Herbert got into Battleschool, no shock there; Kyle was going to be apprenticed to Ulf, the traitor, Ella thought; Mary was going to be a diplomat, good for Mary, Ella thought happily; and Steve was aspiring to be a scribe and that's what he got.

That only left Ella. She stepped forward confidently. "I'm Glenella Brook," she introduced herself, using her full name like all the others. "but I go by Ella," she added.

"Well, Ella, what craft are you interested in?" Baron Arald asked, looking up from his paper.

"I'm not sure," Ella replied confidently.

All the room seemed to be hushed by her response. Her Ward mates looked at her in disbelief and the Baron's secretary had his mouth gaping open in surprise.

"How could you not be sure?" the Baron asked, recovering from the shock first.

"I'm just not, I'll go and do whatever someone tells me to. Whoever wants me can take me," Ella replied. For weeks before she had been rehearsing this response, knowing she wouldn't know by the time of the choosing and knowing she'd get in more trouble.

"Do any of you have a use for her?" Arald turned his head back at the Craft-masters behind him.

Master Chubb, the chef of Redmont, came forward, his wooden spoon in hand. He looked Ella up and down and circled her. Finally, completing his circuit, he faced her, "If I were to get seafood, which port would I get them from?"

Ella thought for a moment and replied, "The one down by the river."

Master Chubb hit her on the head with his spoon. Ella wasn't expecting it and was surprised to feel the smack of it on her already sore head.

"What the heck?" she interjected. The statement brought another hit on the head.

"Wrong. How long would you cook stuffed duck with a maple glaze?"

Ella thought for another moment and was positive she knew the answer. "It depends on the temperature of the oven but usually 11 minutes," she replied.

Ella saw the spoon coming again and she grabbed it when it was few inches from her head. She twisted it from the grasp of Master Chubb and took the momentum from his force to break it across her thigh. There was a woody snap and each half of the spoon was in each of her hands. She looked at the spoon in her hands and handed it back to Master Chubb, smiling.

"Humph! I can't work with a brat or one that doesn't know anything," Chubb fumed, and stormed out of the study.

Her ward mates were trying to suppress laughter as well as a few of the Craft-masters. "Anyone else?" the Baron asked, wondering if he'd see anymore from Ella. Most of them shook their heads and left. Baron Arald excused the other kids so Ella was the only young one there. She looked after her ward mates as they left. When the door closed she looked back at the Baron. He was rubbing his beard, thinking.

Ella saw a slight flutter of movement behind the Baron and felt a wave of confidence pulse through her. So far, only Baron Arald, Ulf, Lady Pauline, Sir Rodney and Halt were the only ones in the study.

"Ulf tells me that you stole a horse last night?" the Baron broke out of his trance and leaned forward.

"Not exactly," Ella replied, picking her words carefully.

"How can you 'not exactly' steal a 17 hand battle horse in the middle of the night?" Baron Arald criticized.

"Titan was sick after Kyle rode him because Kyle didn't treat him properly after the poor horse was ridden hard-," Ella started.

"Don't blame others when it was your doing!" Ulf exploded.

"It's true! Of all people, how and why would I intentionally try to kill a horse that wasn't mine?" Ella shot back.

"Kyle's one of my best students right now," Ulf replied with an air of superiority that bugged the crap out of Ella.

"Just one of them? Who were the others?" Ella interrogated. "You just let a horse killer into your stables."

"Enough!" Arald yelled, standing up from his chair, almost knocking it over backward. Halt caught it before it crashed on the stone floor.

"Ella did you or didn't you steal a horse from Ulf's stable last night?" Arald asked, gaining his composure.

Thinking, Ella replied, "According to Ulf I did but I don't think I did."

"Baron Arald, someone told me they witnessed her riding the buckskin bareback around the arena in the middle of the night. On some sort of joy ride no doubt," Ulf accused.

"That was after I walked Titan for a couple hours," Ella explained, hardening her expression.

"Why didn't you take him back to his stall when you saw that he was fine?" Lady Pauline spoke up in her serious yet gently voice.

Ella had no answer to it. _Because I felt that I had a friend for once who loved me enough to play and hang out with me and goof off with_, is what Ella was thinking but didn't dare expose her weakness.

"I've been wondering this the whole time you've been standing here," Arald spoke after the silence. "Why are you all banged and battered up?"

Ella smiled slightly and replied, "Well, I was treated like any other person who had stolen a battle horse."

She let that image sink into everyone and tried to replay the event in her tired head. "Who did it to you?" Lady Pauline spoke again, looking intently at Ella's face.

"Herbert, Kyle and Ulf," she replied not too quickly so she didn't sound impatient or ready to accuse.

A confused light flashed in Baron Arald's eyes. "You're sure?"

"Positive. I'm not the only one who saw it," Ella replied, implying that Halt had seen it as well.

The Baron looked at her and she nodded her chin behind his chair to where Halt was standing quietly. "Oh! Halt, didn't see you come in," the Baron exclaimed, covering up his surprise.

Halt gave a slight nod to show that what Ella was saying was in fact true.

"That just doesn't seem like them," Lady Pauline said quietly, shaking her head in disbelief.

_It totally is something they would do,_ Ella thought angrily. _After what I had put them through, it was time for them to give me some revenge; took long enough._

"Ulf, you may go now. That's all we need you for," Baron Arald dismissed the bemused horse master. Ulf looked a little broken by not being wanted any further, but exited the room with dignity.

Ella looked at the legs of Baron Arald's desk, and was anywhere but there in her mind. She longed for a warm bed where she could sleep the night and pain away.

"Ella, Ella, Ella, you've gotten yourself into major trouble this time," the Baron shook his head sadly.

"Which farm should I go to tomorrow?" she asked, knowing full well that's where she was going to end up for the rest of her life.

"Why would you assume that's what you're being banished to?" Baron Arald asked, not trying to raise her spirits.

"I guessed it was the one place I couldn't break or get into trouble. Plus, I'm of no use to anyone anywhere so why not farm year round and round and round?" Ella explained, letting some of her steam out in her little explanation.

"I see," the Baron replied, nodding. "The family will be notified at once and you will set out tomorrow."

Ella nodded, but made no eye contact with any of the superiors in the room. She didn't want to show them that she was defeated. _Is this what it felt like for Titan when he finally gave up to the ropes?_ She thought dejectedly.

"I'm sorry, Ella," the Baron said, seemingly apologetic.

She shrugged, "It's no big deal."

"Dismissed, Halt escort her out," the Baron finished, exiting the room from the door behind his desk that Halt had entered from.

Ella looked up and saw Lady Pauline and Halt exchange a sympathetic look that lasted a fleeting second. Hale came up to Ella and looked at her. She refused to meet his eyes and turned toward the door. Halt followed her out the door and noticed how Ella walked with a slightly slumped posture like she had just been beaten down to a pulp.

Around a corner, Ulf was standing, talking to Kyle. Halt positioned himself between Ella and the others. He saw from underneath his hood Ella stiffen as she thought about beating Ulf's smart face in. He flicked her on the elbow to keep her from doing it.

"Ow," she mumbled.

"Don't," Halt mumbled sternly back.

Ella slumped even lower. She hated herself for being so depressed about the news and where she would spend the rest of her life. Normally, when she got crappy news, she shook it off and faked a smile; _where was the fake smile now!_ She wondered.

**Now, refer to the first bold section for what to do next;) haha just kidding. R&R? a review a day keeps the orcs away. haha sorry that was bad...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Has it been a while? i can't remember and i'm too lazy to look. Well, if you were waiting, the wait is over! and if you didn't care, well, sorry for me then. This is just a filler chapter. More stuff will happen soon. i think. i wrote this a while ago so i'll have to re-read it and find out myself =) anywho-ville, i'd like to give a not-so-shouty-shout-out to my awesome reviewers, you all rock and i can't just pick a couple of you to point out pointedly. okay, enough of my ranting, ON WITH THE STORY! Enjoy! (Lemme know how you like it)**

Halt led her down the stairs and out into the court yard. He turned to her as they walked down the path to the barn. "Why so glum?" he asked, in his most cheerful voice; which wasn't that cheerful.

"Glum? Who says I'm glum?" Ella replied, evading the question. "I'm just great!" she looked at Halt and attempted her smile.

Halt let out a frustrated sigh. "It's not good to keep your emotions bottled up inside," he mumbled as he turned away and started down the path again.

Ella ran her fingers over her pulled back hair in anger and defeat. "Why are we coming down here? I live up at the Castle," she said as she caught up to Halt. She tried not to sound like she was complaining, but she guessed she did based on Halt's barely audible sigh.

"Would you like your stuff back or not?" he asked over his shoulder.

Ella shrugged awkwardly and continued after the Ranger.

Coming around a bend in the path to the front courtyard of the stables, there was a surprising ruckus awaiting them. Three men each had a rope attached to a part of a large buckskin battle horse. Ella knew it was Titan who was rearing and striking out at the men who were restraining him. The big horse was blindfolded and had his ears pinned flat against his head in anger and fear, his nostrils flaring out dense fog. An occasional hate filled whinny came from deep within the big horse, seeming to shake the branches around the courtyard.

The men were yelling at each other and Titan. Ella was at Halt's side now, who had stopped for a moment, but kept walking on. A fourth man appeared, with a rope and whip in hand. Ella looked at him in horror as he came up behind Titan and whipped him on the rump and flank. He then twirled the rope expertly in the air before throwing it onto Titan's left front when he reared up.

Titan was on two legs now, his front right and left hind. There was one rope attached to his halter and one on his neck, evidently choking him when his neighs were cut short abruptly. The men continued to shout and whip Titan as the battle horse fought on, not wanting to give up.

"Oh, Titan," Ella whispered as she passed the scene on the other side of the courtyard.

The buckskin stopped and turned in the direction of a voice he knew well and loved dearly. Dropping his guard for that split second, the men who held ropes on Titan's legs, pulled together and Titan lost his balance.

Halt ushered Ella inside the barn before Titan hit the ground. There was a loud thud as horse flesh met hard, icy cobblestone. Ella felt a mix of emotion as she heard the thud and deafening scream from Titan. A few of the emotions Ella recognized were anger, hate, sadness, heartbreak and an overwhelming feeling of defeat.

"I'm so stupid," she said quietly to herself, kicking the wall with her toe. It hurt unbearably but the pain felt good, in a way.

Halt pretended not to hear, considering it wasn't his job to deal with the girl's "issues." He stood beside the tack room door as Ella entered and gathered up her stuff. It consisted of her own grooming box, a faded brown cap for riding in whatever kind of weather, and her own crop. It was wrapped in purpled and green fabric, making it look girly. The last time she used it was when she was teaching one of the horses to jump 3 feet.

She smacked it against her hand, making a clean cracking sound ripple across the saddle filled room. Satisfied, she stuck the crop, head first, into her boot so the handle was poking out for easy access. She then placed the brown cap on her head, not feeling the adrenaline it usually gave her when she knew she was about to get on a beast of an animal. No, now she just felt dread seep into her being.

Halt stood out by the door, waiting to Ella to return. Once she was out with her belongings, looking even more troubled than before, he headed for the big barn door.

"Uh… can we go out the back?" she asked quietly and shakily.

Halt shrugged and nodded.

"Thank you," Ella replied quietly.

Sad to admit it, Halt felt bad for the girl and wondered how she got the rottenest of luck in the last couple of days. She must be dead practically, Halt thought as he walked next to Ella, why won't she just talk to someone?

"You have no idea what you want to do?" Halt asked when they were out of the dim barn and blinded by the snow reflecting the small amount of sun getting through the clouds.

Ella shook her head, "Nope, no clue."

There was a long silence between them before either spoke again. "I mean, I thought I did but I managed to mess that up as well, along with everything else in my life," Ella stated.

"What did you want to do?" Halt asked after a short pause.

"I wanted to be in the horse school but I got too close to a horse, stole one and insulted my best friend so he won't talk to me and turned Ulf against me," Ella explained in one quick breath.

"I wouldn't say he turned Ulf against you," Halt tried.

"Really?" Ella asked incredulously, stopping. "What would you call it?"

For probably the first time in his life, Halt didn't know how to answer a question. He just stood there, facing Ella, his eyes in shadow from his hood. He was grateful of the deep hood so the girl before him couldn't see the doubt in his eyes that slipped through his mask.

"That's what I thought," Ella said quietly, and continued walking.

They walked in silence for awhile. Halt longed badly to console to hurting girl. In his eyes, she was small and vulnerable who just needed to vent and rant and have a fresh start. He knew Ella wouldn't find that for a long while, but it wasn't his job right now. His job was to escort Ella around until she was safe in her room, back at the Ward. Ella was too stubborn to give in and throw her guts out to someone so she'd feel better. More than once in the last week than in the four months Halt had been observing Ella, had he wanted to treat her like a daughter and embrace her. He was disgusted by how soft he had become with his feelings since Will got back from Skandia a year ago.

Soon they were at the gate and Halt nodded to the guards and they were let through without a problem. On the other side of the gate, Halt stopped.

Ella, noticing that the shadow like figure wasn't in step with her, stopped as well and turned to face the grizzled Ranger. "You coming?" she asked, confused.

"No, I trust that you won't kill anyone in the fifty yards to the Ward's door," Halt replied grimly, but with a slight touch of wit.

"Oh, okay," Ella replied, a little sad to lose her companion. "Well, thank you, for everything really. I hope I'll see you again," she was a little awkward with the good-bye but did okay. She also didn't know if there was to be any contact from herself to Halt.

"I'm sure I will see you again, soon," Halt replied gently and turned from Ella to exit out the gate.

Ella looked after the cloaked figure as he left and turned around the corner. She stood there, exhausted, upset, and alone. The bucket of brushes was getting heavy in her hand so she sighed and turned to continue toward the Ward.

Castle Redmont's Ward had been Ella's home for the last four years. She was dropped off one day and it had been her home ever since. It wasn't exactly "home sweet home" where one could relax and feel safe. Ella always felt on guard and uneasy about the other kids that lived there too, and she didn't feel that she could trust anyone.

The building was empty, except for a few girls in the living area doing each other's hair. Ella walked through to the kitchen to see if she could swipe some stuff before spending the rest of the day in her room. Thankfully, there was some bread and butter and Ella grabbed a couple slices.

Retreating to the safety of her room, Ella tossed her belongings from the barn in a corner by her desk. She then got out some shorter and baggier pants that she slept in, and a shirt that had the sleeves cut off at the shoulder. She stripped and changed before plopping on her bed. Too tired to pull the covers over herself, Ella curled up into a ball. Her pillow never felt so comfy as it did right then. Her muscles and head ached from the weekend's events.

Sleep came quickly and her pain was forgotten for the many hours she was asleep. To Ella's relief, she didn't dream or have any nightmares. She had been worried that the dream with the Darkness would terrorize her, but it didn't. She slept soundly for the rest of the day.

**Well? Did you like it? Of course not, what am i thinking? it was a filler, no one likes fillers. oh well, good try on my part. R&R anyways?**


	7. Chapter 7

Halt walked silently through the trees, staying away from the path so he was discreet and didn't bring attention to himself. His internal mental battle involving Ella was still raging on but he made sure he kept his features from showing he was having issues.

When he returned to his small cabin, Will wasn't anywhere to be seen. Halt guessed that his apprentice was out in the clearing practicing. Just as he suspected, Will's cloak, bow and quiver, and horse were gone. Good boy, Halt thought to himself. He admired his apprentice's stubbornness and attitude toward everything.

Brewing some coffee, Halt hung his cloak on a hook by the door and flopped down on the couch. He rubbed his tired eyes and waited for the hot brown liquid patiently. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat back down on the couch. He soon heard Abelard's welcoming whinny to his pal, Tug.

Halt gulped the last bit of coffee left and got up to make another pot. Will came through the door, making a squeaking and grating sound in the process, and closed it again. He hung his cloak up beside Halt's and helped his master with the coffee.

"Took you long enough," said Will after he put the coffee in its respected place. "I was beginning to worry."

"The Choosing took awhile, then I had to escort Ella down to the barn to get her stuff and back up to the Ward," Halt explained, returning to the couch.

"Seems like they have little trust in that girl," Will replied, setting the coffee to boil.

"No, none at all," Halt replied, staring off into the fire. "And when we got the barn, they were beating Ella's poor friend. My guess is that he'll be dead in a few weeks the way Ulf is treating him."

Will could tell his mentor was angry. All Ranger's had a special relationship with their horses. If Will had seen someone beating up Tug, he'd have more than likely killed that person. "She was riding a battle horse?" asked Will, for confirmation.

"Yes, seventeen hands. But he never acted up when Ella was with him," Halt voiced, trying to sort everything out in his own mind. "He reminded me of a huge ranger pony."

Will pictured mentally what that would look like in a big battle horse and thought it was cute. A small girl in the protection of a huge battle horse, each having the other's back in any situation.

"I didn't get any sleep last night so I'm going to bed," Halt said, rising from the sofa and disappearing into his room.

After his mentor had left, Will still sat in one of the arm chairs, sipping his coffee. He'd never met nor had he even seen this Ella girl. Why, Will thought, would Halt be following this girl and watching her?

Will wandered over to Halt's desk. He sifted through the sheets of parchment, looking for an explanation to his question. On the bottom of the pile was a letter from Gilan. The gist of the letter was asking Halt if there were any good candidates to be a Ranger.

That cleared him up for the moment. But, did Ella get an apprenticeship to Gilan? That question lingered in Will's mind for the rest of the day. He knew he couldn't wake Halt to ask his question, so he went about doing chores and what not.

Halt emerged from his room an hour before dusk. Again, Will was no where do be seen. Halt sighed and started to make dinner. It wasn't anything spectacular, just stew and a few veggies. Will came inside again and set the table. They didn't speak, except for a few exchanges of where Will had been and how well Halt had slept.

Sitting down to dinner at the small table, is when Will attacked Halt with his questions. "What does Ella look like? What apprenticeship did she get? Is she good at riding or Ranger stuff or what? Is she going to be Gilan's apprentice?"

Halt wasn't surprised by the boy's curiosity or the amount of questions. Will waited patiently for his mentor to respond to his onslaught of questions.

"She's small, has dark red hair and green eyes," Halt explained, recalling the begging look in Ella's eyes. "She is going to work on a farm, because none of the Craft-masters wanted a 'dangerous' person working with them. She's one of the best riders I've seen and she has such a way with horses. And she excels in everything, not one thing outshines another. And finally, I don't know if she will be Gilan's apprentice."

"Wow," Will replied, taking in Halt's extensive explanation. "I feel bad for her."

"Good, you should. In all the time I've been observing her, I've only seen her smile for real a couple times," Halt said, taking his dishes to the counter. He needed an excuse to hide his face in case any of the sadness or defeat shown through his mask.

"I don't think she'll like the farm life. From what I've heard, Ella seems like a ball of energy just waiting to explode," Will stated, standing and taking his dishes to the counter.

"I wouldn't say energy exactly," Halt said under his breath.

Will was confused by the remark for a moment then understood what Halt meant. "Do you know what time she's leaving tomorrow?"

"Early, the farm she's going to is two hours away on a horse. My guess is that she's walking," Halt said, going over to his desk.

"Bummer," Will mumbled.


	8. Chapter 8

**MERRY CHRISTMAS! or whichever holiday you celebrate this time of year. this is my Christmas present to you:) its nice and long, at least in comparrison to last chapter... that one was L-A-M-E... ah well, on with this next installment. as always, Enjoy!**

Ella was awakened with a loud banging at her door. She rolled off her bed and fell on the floor. Now she was fully awake from the impact of her method of getting up.

"I'm coming!" she called at the door, as she threw on an over shirt. The banging stopped and before Ella answered it, she fixed her hair quickly.

She opened the door to a well dressed servant with shaggy light brown hair and a button nose. Probably one of the Baron's, she thought with disgust. "Yes?"

"Here's the map to where you'll be working. The family is expecting you at midday tomorrow and you'll be walking. Have a good evening Miss, the Baron wishes his best to you," the servant explained and turned to leave.

"Thank you!" Ella called after him, not at all pleased.

She threw the map on her bed and got her bag out of her small closet. She packed her clothes, books, and belongings into the bag. It wasn't too full, but it was heavy. A small anger flared inside of Ella at the thought of how poorly she was being treated.

Once all of her stuff was packed, she exited her room and returned to the kitchen. It was deserted at the late hour. There were remains of the dinner and she took some of it and went outside. It was very cold out but Ella would rather be freezing than burning hot. The stars occasionally poked through the cloud cover. The moon was hidden behind the clouds too, but was shining brightly, making the clouds look light sky and the sky like clouds. They were illuminated beautifully from behind.

Finishing her snack, Ella went back inside to get her boots. They weren't packed because she'd be wearing them in the morning. She pulled them on quickly and went to her window. Her room was at the back of the building on the second story. Ella looked down to see how far it was from the ground. It didn't seem that far but then again, she'd never jumped from it before.

The distance was only about fifteen feet, she estimated. Then, the distance from where she would land to the fence, was only about thirty. There was a bank of snow that looked fluffy and a good landing spot. She opened her window all the way and swung her legs over the sill. She pushed off with her legs and arms, trying to launch herself as far as possible.

The wind whooshed past her face, whipping her hair so it stung her eyes. Quickly, she pulled her legs up close to her body so the impact would be even throughout her body, not just on her legs. Ella hit the snow and sank into it, doing a face plant in the process. She rolled over onto her back to catch her breath and flex her muscles to make sure she wasn't injured.

All of her limbs moving fine, she stood up. The back fence of the Ward was only thirty feet from her. The clouds moved and the moon shone brightly through onto the Castle property. She waited for the moon to be covered up again until she made her break for the fence.

Once the moon was covered, she leapt as far as she could so her steps were staggered. Realizing that it took longer to stagger her steps than to just run through the knee deep snow, she started to run. The white snow was packed enough so that Ella could run on the surface of it before she sank into the white mass. Reaching the fence, she used her momentum to leap over it. Her left hand went up to the top rail and she pushed off the ground. She cleared the top rail with inches to spare and she was free; kind of.

Looking around her, there was no sign of movement except for the slight breeze that brushed the tops of the cedars and firs. It smelled of pine and snow, as Ella tip-toed through the woods, not making even the slightest sound. She didn't know where she was going, she just wanted to be free of worries for a few minutes.

A stronger gust broke from the tops of the trees down to the ground level, making the ferns tremble. Ella instinctively tried to pull her cloak around her, but she wasn't wearing one.

"I'm a genius," she mumbled to herself as she jumped up and down a little bit to get some warmth back. _I'd rather be cold than hot_, she thought.

An owl hooted in the trees above Ella, breaking her thoughtless trance and snapping her back into the real world. Tears stung in her eyes, but Ella refused to let them brim over. Even though she was alone, she didn't like to cry. She cleared her throat and shook her head to get the tears to go. They didn't go completely, but gone enough that she could think.

Images of Titan, Kyle, and Halt, even, flicked through her head. Then, she replayed the Choosing and the beating of Titan; not wanting to relive them but they just came to her. Thinking about Titan broke the dam that kept the tears back. They slipped silently down her cheeks and she wiped them away with the back of her hand once they tickled her chin.

Will I ever see him again? Is he going to a good home? Will he be treated well? Is it my fault he got this unfair treatment? All these questions raced through Ella's mind. The one that choked her up the most was the last one.

Finally, shaking the thoughts from her head, Ella realized where she was. She was on the back side of the market square. She hadn't known she'd made it that far, but one look up at the sky told her it was possible. The moon had moved quite far from its original position from where Ella had first jumped to now. Sighing, she turned back to "home."

Maybe the farm family will be nice, she thought, and maybe it'll feel like home finally. Her thoughts were empty wishes. Ella hadn't felt at home in years. She shuddered at the memories that were on the edge of her conscience, tugging at her mind to reawaken them. Quickly, she racked her mind for a happy thought. The only ones that came to her were when she was cantering Titan, when he looked at her with his chocolate eyes, and, this shocked her slightly, when she fell off Titan and Halt was stooping over her. She felt a wave of admiration and love toward the old Ranger. For once, in a long while, she felt like someone had concern for her and wanted to help.

"No one can help me," she whispered to the wind as a gust came through again. As if on cue, small flakes of snow penetrated the tree branch ceiling down to where Ella walked. She smiled and looked up at the intertwining branches that sheltered her.

Feeling the cold seep into her bones, she quickened her pace to a jog. Ella jogged past the way she had entered the woods, looking through the trees to the building. She stopped and looked at the distance she had jumped. _Wow, I did that_? she thought, bewildered. The moment passing, she continued again until a few yards from the Castle wall. Creeping through the underbrush to the edge of the woods, she gauged how far she had to sprint until she was in the shadow of the Ward building. Deciding it was no less than fifty feet, she observed to pattern of the shadows and the way the wind shifted the shadows' positions. She crept out of her hiding spot and moved with the motion of the shadows. She was light on her feet and barely left a full foot print.

In no time at all, she was in the protective shadow of the Ward building. A sentry at the gate didn't even notice the delinquent cross behind him. Now, Ella thought, how do I get from here, to my room. She inched her way along, with her back to the wall, until she was a few feet from the corner that had the porch and front door.

Looking over to the sentry, who was seated at his post, Ella reached for the banister. Grasping it, she stepped quietly until her arm was bent at the elbow. Counting down from three, she jumped and used her arm as a pivot point so she swung over the banister and landed with a soft thud on the porch. As Ella landed, she bent her knees all the way so that she was in a kneeling position, hidden behind the lattice that dropped down from the banister.

She heard the sentry stir and then settle again. Ella waited a few more moments to pass so she was sure the sentry's attention wasn't focused on the small thud. Half crawling and half walking, Ella made it to the door and slipped her key into the lock. It clicked softly and Ella turned the knob. The hinges rattled slightly, but Ella only needed to open it a little so she could slip her small frame through the door.

Once she was inside the dark foyer, she closed the door quietly and turned the dead bolt with another soft click. Turning down the hallway on the right, she slipped past the dormant living room and kitchen and made her way to the stairs. She took them two at a time, with only a foot on each step for a second. A few of the doors were opened slightly and Ella crept past them at walking pace, so it seemed to anyone who was awake, that she had just gone to the restroom and was coming back.

Reaching her door, finally, she closed it with a click, the wood groaned slightly as if it was tired and Ella had just awoken it from a pleasant dream. Ella had a running start for her bed and landed on it on her back and bum, rebounding off of its springs. When her bed and body were still again, she let out a pent up sigh and crawled under her covers. She smiled to herself as she slipped into a deep sleep with images that made her happy.

* * *

Will watched from the top of the Castle wall he had scaled up without the sentries even noticing. He watched Ella jump from the second story window and onto the snow. He was amazed at how she judged when to go across the open flat. Losing sight of her in the woods, he sat quietly, his cloak pulled close to him. He breathed from his nose to minimize the amount of fog that came from him.

A couple hours later, he made out a vague shape in the woods. It was small, but the auburn hair glimmered in the moon light. It was snowing lightly now and Will glanced up at the thin layer of snow clouds that had built itself up.

He saw Ella hesitate at the edge of the woods. Then he saw her dash out into the open, moving with the motion of the shadows. If Will hadn't been trained to see such movement, he'd for sure not even notice the three dimensional object moving across the open snow. Although Ella moved with the motion of the shadows, she never stayed in one place for more than a moment.

Will thought it was curious that Ella had come around this way and not just to the back of the Ward, the way she had came to go to the woods. He didn't think that she'd have the knowledge to not retrace your steps when you were sneaking around.

As Ella inched closer to the porch, Will craned his neck to see what the sentry was doing. He was leaning on his staff, half asleep. He wondered what Ella was doing with her hand on the banister. But, a few seconds later, his curiosity was answered as she leaped and pivoted over the three foot hunk of wood.

Will barely heard the soft thud that made the wood groan under Ella's small weight. He waited for her to stand up, but the next thing he saw was the Ward door opening and Ella's crouched figure slip behind it.

In a matter of minutes, Ella had sprinted fifty feet unnoticed, crept along the wall of the building in the shadows undetected, and leapt over the banister without a running start.

Will looked at the path Ella had made, or would've made if she left evident tracks, in disbelief. _And Halt said that Ella didn't stand out in any way_, Will thought shaking his head.

**Sorry about all the non-important details in this chapter. it was tricky trying to form my thoughts for this "scene." R&R? as a Christmas present to me? ;)it's cool if you don't, just a suggestion:) wow i really like smiley faces... Happy Holidays everyone!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I am so trememdously, ridiculously, insanely sorry for taking so hackin' long to update! we just got back to school and i have all this work... same other reason why every other author on here doesn't update;) so i wont bore you with the details. but, here is the next installment and i hope you enjoy and for all of you who are demanding Gilan to show up, he will in two, three, or four chapters. he is coming and will be great! So on with the story! Enjoy, or else. jk, i would never hurt anybody if they didn't enjoy this. and i'd be rather surprised if they made it this far... okay seriously im done. oh! major shout-out to Yona Rider for her/his/its review. (sorry bout that, i don't want to be sexist or anything like that).**

**Disclaimer: i don't own Rangers Apprentice, that australian(?) guy does. (i havent done one in a while, so i figured it was time)**

Sunlight poured into Ella's small room, waking her from her fitful sleep. She kicked the covers off of her and went to her desk. She had picked out an outfit the night before and changed into it quickly. She wore long pants, a tight short sleeved shirt under a long sleeved shirt, with her cloak clipped across her neck.

Glancing in the mirror, Ella ran her fingers through her hair. After deciding what to do with it, she pulled it back into a high ponytail, which was her signature look. Shouldering her pack, Ella made her way downstairs into the kitchen.

Her Ward mates where still there, finishing up their morning meal before heading off to their new apprenticeships.

"Ella!" Mary called to her when Ella entered. She waved Ella over and motioned for her to sit.

"Morning," Ella greeted them. It wasn't just Mary at the table but the rest of the 15 year olds.

There were a few mumbled greetings. Ella thought most of them were excited or nervous about their first day. Herbert was the first to leave, slapping Kyle and Steve on the back in farewell. He came over to Ella and Mary, kissing Mary lightly on the cheek and patting Ella on the head. With that, he left the kitchen and Ward forever. Steve was the next to go, clapping Kyle on the shoulder as well and kissing both Ella and Mary. Ella was sad for Steve to leave, she had a special liking to the boy, he always figured out a way to make Ella smile. Mary would see Steve a lot considering they would both be working in the Castle.

Only Kyle, Mary and Ella were left. Mary, knowing that there was conflict between Ella and Kyle, deliberately left next.

Ella stood up when Mary did to hug her. "Oh, I'll miss you!" Mary cried.

"I'll miss you too!" Ella said back to her friend.

"Bye Kyle!" Mary said to Kyle hugging his neck.

"Later," Kyle replied indifferently.

"And then there were two," Ella muttered when Mary was gone from the dining area.

Kyle looked up from his coffee mug at Ella. He was going to miss her witty little comments and her laugh. Ella felt that eyes were on her and she glanced up from the wood grain she had been tracing with her eyes.

"I'm sorry!" they cried in unison.

"Why are you sorry?" the asked the other in unison again.

Ella smiled and shook her hand at Kyle to get him to talk first.

"I'm sorry I was a jerk to you and I'm sorry I beat on you with Herbert and I'm sorry I didn't take care of Titan," Kyle confessed in one breath.

"Really? I'm sorry for being a jerk about Titan and hating you and I'm sorry I gave you the cold shoulder," Ella confessed in the same amount of time it took Kyle to confess.

They stood up from their places and met at the end of the table. Kyle wrapped his arms over Ella's small frame and Ella hugged him likewise. It lasted a minute, but it was a good minute.

"I'm gonna miss you, El," Kyle said when they parted.

"I'll miss you too," Ella returned. "I guess."

"Aw, gee thanks," Kyle replied, with mock sadness.

"I better get going, it's a long walk to the farm."

"Okay, well, take care Ella, dear," Kyle finished, patting Ella on the shoulder.

"You too," Ella managed to smile as she said good-bye to her friend and shouldered her pack.

Before leaving the threshold of the dining area, Ella looked back at Kyle and he winked at her. Ella smiled and turned, telling herself to not look back no matter what.

Stepping out into the sunny morning with the fresh snow reflecting the morning sun, Ella squinted to see in front of her. Shouldering her backpack, Ella stepped off the porch and headed for her new home. Her limbs were stiff, reminding her of last night. She walked past the guards at the gate and nodded to them in a silent good-bye.

Ella continued along the road that lead from the Castle all the way through the fief to the country side. There were many carts pulled by dejected donkeys, ornery oxen, and hasty horses.

There were ruts in the road made by the multitude of carts that had been on the road in the past. Instead of being nice and covered in snow, the road was a mucky, muddy mess. Ella tried to pick her way through the muck, but after twenty minutes, she gave that hope up and trudged through the mud.

She went past the turn off that would've lead her into town. She looked down the lane, not expecting to see anything exciting, when her expectation was proven. In front of a small linen shop, was a group of people circled around two others who were throwing punches at each other. Ella stowed her pack in some bushes back from the road, and hurried up the path to the fight. She could now see that the two people were entirely different ages.

Why isn't anyone stopping this? Ella thought, disgusted. She pushed her way through the group so she could see the situation. The older man was probably in his twenties, Ella guessed, and he had fiery red hair. He was probably the worker at the linen store because he wore an apron with a bunch of fancy fabric sewn together in a fashionably way. The other was a dirty little boy of ten, most likely, who was apparently homeless and mooching off others.

"How many times have I told you not to steal?" the older man shouted as he knocked the boy's knees out from under him.

"Only a couple!" the boy shouted back as he threw a weak punch. "Mrs. Wilson said it was okay!"

"Shut up, you little liar!" the man yelled, giving the boy a blow to his stomach, knocking the boy to the ground and going into the fetal position.

Ella pushed past a few shoulders and was in the center with the fighters. The man was making a lunge for the little boy when Ella got in his way.

"Stop it," she said icily, giving the man her famous glare.

"Yeah? And what are you going to do about it girly?" the man mocked her. He shoved her out of the way and made a break for the boy who had stood up and was cowering behind Ella.

The man pinned the boy to the ground and slapped him across the face multiple times with his open palm. Ella stood up and grabbed the red-head by his collar, prying him off the boy. She got him off balance and drove her knee into his stomach and planted a solid punch across his face, sending him sprawling.

"You're even now, okay?" Ella decided, standing between the two with her arms keeping the other back. "Be more mature, take what you can get but nothing more, and all of you be a good person and break up fights, don't urge them on," Ella scolded the man, the boy and then the crowd.

She tightened her ponytail and made her way out of the group and back to the road. An unknown spectator in the crowd smiled proudly. Her backpack was still in the bush when she got back. Shouldering it again, she made her way down the road. Her anger was easing after the behavior of the people in the town.

There was a fork in the road a while on, one way leading to the "suburban" part of the fief, the other leading deeper into the country side. Sighing, Ella took the one to the country. It was lovely with the rolling hills of dormant crops that had snow powdered on them. There were a few homes that were spread far apart and matching barns. There were many pastures that were cleared for livestock. In one of them, Ella could've sworn she was looking at Titan. She called his name but there was no response from the buckskin.

In another half hour of walking, Ella was standing in front of a cute little white cottage with smoke curling from the red brick chimney. The white picket fence was falling apart, the walkway was over grown with weeds, and the porch had some floor boards missing.

Hesitating, Ella opened the picket fence gate and picked her way through the path up to the porch steps. She stood at the door and knocked three times. She fixed her hair and shirt quickly before the door opened to a plump lady with pigtails of short white hair.

"Are you Ella?" the lady asked in a kind, grandmotherly way.

"Um, yes ma'am," Ella curtseyed awkwardly.

**Alright, so, funny thing is that i had all that energy to write that intro that im too lazy to edit this chapter. so, if you see anything especially wonky, let me know and i shall fix it. other than that, R&R?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay so i'm really inspired to toss this story up quickly becasue i'm really excited for you guys to read it. and i appreciate one of my lovely reviewers for telling me that my title was screwed up. it used to be "Possible" instead of "Possibly," so i apologize for now fixing that until the 10th chapter... my redneck lingo must've popped up when i typed that... Enjoy!**

The lady waved the movement off. "Oh, come inside sweetie, it's cold out there. Would you like some coffee? You probably had to walk a long way," the lady was very eager and quick. Ella liked her immediately. She was like an older version of one of the horses in the barn that was eager and ready for anything.

"Yes, please," Ella replied, following the lady into the cottage.

The first thing Ella noticed was the bright colors on the walls. The living room was red with flowers in vases scattered about the room. On the right of the doorway was the kitchen that was bright yellow with a big window looking out over the shallow valley. There was a large dresser thing on the left side of the door that held fancy china and other nifty knick-knacks.

The stone fire place had a fire going. In front of the hearth was a black and white dog with shaggy hair and floppy ears. In the comfy chair facing the fire place, with its back towards the kitchen, held an elderly man. He had thinning white hair and tanned skin, probably from working out in the fields all day. His skin had a leathery look to it too.

There was a door off the living room wall near the chimney that led to the master bedroom, most likely.

"George, this is Ella. You know, the girl who's going to help us with chores and what not," the lady called from the kitchen. The only thing separating the living room from the kitchen was an island with two stools at its edge.

George looked over the back of his chair in Ella's direction. "Hello," Ella greeted him.

"Well, you seem awfully pretty to be sentenced to a farm life. Welcome," George flattered Ella.

Ella liked him immediately too. "Thank you, sir."

"Grace, what's our rule about formal addresses?" George sounded like he was being serious but he winked at Ella so she knew he was joking.

"We'll have none of it!" Grace replied, handing Ella a mug of black coffee. "Sugar?"

"Yes, please," Ella left off the "ma'am" part this time. "I don't want to sound rude or anything, but what do I call you guys?"

They both chuckled. "Just our first names will be fine," Grace said.

Ella nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. She made a face, "Forgot the sugar."

The two chuckled again. George stood up and was very tall. He seemed in great shape for his age, much like Grace. "Let me take your bag to your room," George said, taking Ella's back pack from her. Ella followed him to a door, opposite the master bedroom door, that was next to the kitchen. George seemed excited as he opened it and motioned for Ella to step inside. It was a beautiful lavender color with a large window seat looking toward the valley but at a different view than in the kitchen. A dresser was concealed in the closet but the closet still had room for hanging stuff. The bed wasn't anything special but it had a nice, thick mattress and puffy pillows. The desk was on the door wall and it had many books piled on it.

Ella hadn't realized she'd been smiling so big. "Do you like it?" George asked expectantly. Grace's head was peeping under George's shoulder in the doorway.

"Like it? I love it! Thank you," Ella said excitedly.

"We'll let you get settled. Lunch will be in an hour," Grace said, tugging George's sleeve.

"Okay dokay," Ella replied, opening her pack when her door was closed.

She dumped her belongings onto her bed. She added her own books to the pile on her desk, making the stack even taller. She put her clothes in the dresser and all that was left was her one dagger, a necklace with an engraved metal flower, and her green hat that she had worn the night she spent with Titan.

Ella sighed and sat in her window seat, looking out over the gently sloping hill that lead to the river. The property line was marked with an up turned stone that was at the edge of the green belt that was near the river. The barn was red with white trim. A few of the top of the doors were open and two horses poked their heads out. A hen house was on the other side along with a pig pen. The pasture was cleared and held many goats and sheep. The horses, Ella soon realized, had the free will to go in and out as they pleased through their barn doors.

A knock came at the door, and Ella realized she had dozed off. "Yes?" she called, trying not to sound groggy.

"Lunch time, dear," it was Grace's sweet voice.

Ella got up and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands. The island was loaded with food: stew, roast, bread, nuts, and pie. George had already finished and was getting ready to go out for the afternoon chores.

Ella sat on one of the stools and made herself a plate from the buffet. The stew was amazing, the roast seemed to melt in her mouth, the bread was to die for, and the pie was a mixed berry pie sprinkled with sugar. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she'd eaten the serving of a full grown man in battle school.

"That was amazing," Ella said, after she had cleared her plate.

Grace looked shocked at how much Ella had consumed. "Thank you. For someone so small, you sure know how to eat," she said, taking Ella's plate.

"Is there anything I can help with? Or that you need me to do?" Ella asked, started to get antsy and bored.

"No not really, I'm about to start sewing if you want to learn how to do that," Grace pitched.

"Sure," Ella replied, helping Grace clear the island.

For the rest of the afternoon, Grace taught Ella how to sew. Within a few hours, Ella had finished a quarter of a shirt. George came back inside from feeding the animals and tending to his equipment. For dinner they had leftovers from lunch. George turned in early, kissing Grace lightly on the lips and ruffling Ella's hair.

Soon after George went to bed, so did Grace. "Good night, sweetie. If you need anything don't be afraid to get it or get us," Grace said, putting her sewing stuff in a neat basket beside another comfy chair.

"Okay, night," Ella replied. The dog, whose name was Axel, didn't follow Grace into her bedroom, but stayed out with Ella. He came over and nudged her with his black nose, his light blue eyes looking at her hopefully. Ella patted the dog's head and folded up her sewing stuff and took it to her room.

Ella could tell that George and Grace weren't used to having a third person in the house because there was only two of most things. She went back out into the living room to double check that the fire was contained, then returned to her room. Axel followed her and jumped up onto her window seat. The moon was still full and shining brightly over the snow covered valley. In the distance, Ella could make out another property across the river. Both of the horses were out and munching on hay that had been thrown for their dinner. The sheep and goats joined in the piles of hay with the horses.

Ella changed into her night clothes and crawled under her covers. The mattress was just as comfy as it looked. Axel jumped up on the bed with Ella, so she was stuck between the dog and the wall. Ella smiled and stroked Axel's head and body until she fell asleep.

**So? Did you like it? Ella's finally at the farm and guess what? Gilan is coming soon! R&R? and please let me know if i'm updating too fast or too slow, or if you're losing interest or anything like that.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Just a filler. i'm uploading another chapter in a second. sorry it's been so long, lots of riding and school going on but now you have the next installment of this almost legit story:) enjoy!**

A loud banging came at the door. Axel whimpered and jumped off the bed. Ella turned to her window and the sun wasn't even up yet, just the grey morning light of sunrise.

"Yeah?" she called, a little bit annoyed.

"Ella, breakfast in ten," Grace's voice came from the other side of the door.

Ella groaned and fell back on her pillow, pulling her blanket over her head. It only seemed like a second that her eyes had been closed when the smell of bacon entered her room. Axel was also licking her face off until Ella shoved him off of her.

She pulled her cloak on and stumbled out of her room, into the bright kitchen.

"Mornin' sleepy head," Grace kidded as she made a plate for Ella.

"Morning," Ella mumbled. "What time is it?"

"Not quite dawn. Don't worry, you'll get used to the early mornings soon enough."

Ella chowed down on the bacon and pancakes. George came in from the front yard and had his breakfast.

"Anything I can do?" Ella asked, after she had gotten dressed and helped Grace clean up breakfast.

"I'm sure George could use help with the fencing," Grace said.

"Cool," Ella jumped up and got her boots on.

The morning was clouded and cold. Ella's breath was a giant mass of fog. She found George in the shed next to the barn. "Need any help?" she asked from the doorway.

"Sure, why don't you get the tool box right there and follow me down to the broken fence," George replied, getting some dry lumber.

Ella helped George fix the fence, then cleaned the harnesses, then cleaned out the chicken coup, then gathered eggs, and then cleaned the pig's pen. It wasn't even lunch by the time all that was done. Ella sat on the dry, hard ground in front of the barn door. She was exhausted and wanted to crawl into bed and never come out again; but that's not the type of person Ella is.

After taking her break, she met George out in the pasture. They picked it clean of any manure and wet hay. The water trough was iced over, so they had to break that up so the horses could drink. The goats milled about along with the sheep. Axel herded them into their smaller paddock so the horses had free run of the big pasture.

Ella turned them out once all the animals had vacated the pasture. One of them was a big bay stallion with a white star on his forehead. The other was a palomino stallion that had one brown eye and one blue eye, like Axel's. For both of them being studs, they sure didn't act like it. They were very laid back and let Ella mess with them.

**I was too lazy to edit this so if there are screw ups i'm sorry.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A little bit of action, not much though. Gilan is coming up soon i promise:) Enjoy!**

The next four months passed in this same pattern. Ella could feel herself getting bored and antsy and angry. She loved Grace and George and the property and everything else, but something just didn't seem right.

The snow was starting to melt so the gardening in the front yard would begin soon. George was preparing the plow and the bay for the planting of crops. Ella had fixed the picket fence and floorboards on the porch so it didn't look so run down.

The valley that once was beautiful to Ella was now just boring and seemed to be wasting Ella. She found herself struggling to get through books she'd read hundreds of times. She was losing her touch with math also, which scared her slightly because she loved working with numbers.

She didn't stay up late anymore and found herself being a morning person instead of a night person, and she loved the night! The repetitive life she was living was oppressing her and holding her back, though she'd never admit it.

Grace had noticed how Ella was deteriorating over the months. Ella was doing well with the cooking, cleaning, sewing, fixing, farming and riding, but something was lacking that Grace couldn't place. George had noticed it too. Usually Ella was happy and upbeat, but now it seemed forced whenever she was around them.

Axel and the animals did their best to make Ella smile, but it didn't work.

One morning it was drizzling, as it often did in the spring, while Ella worked the plow herself and George went to town. She was down at the far end of the field when she heard a commotion up at the house. Axel, who had been at Ella's side while she pushed the plow along, barked and ran up to the house. The bay pricked his ears and pawed the ground impatiently.

"Easy boy," Ella unhitched him and lead him up to the pasture.

She heard shouts in the house and something being smashed. Ella broke into a run, freaking out about who was in the house with Grace.

"Where's the money?" a male voice demanded.

"Henry, I don't know. We never made this agreement," Grace's voice answered.

"Give it over or you lose the farm."

"That's not your decision," Ella heard Grace reply. Just as Ella reached the door, the man slapped Grace across the face and sent her sprawling against the back of one of the comfy chairs.

"Cut it out!" Ella yelled as she got between Grace and the man. She thought she knew the man from somewhere but couldn't place it.

"What's it to you little girl?" the man spat.

"Grace didn't do anything wrong," Ella said cooly.

"No? I guess you're the poverty case they brought in."

"So what if I am? Leave now," Ella demanded, setting her jaw.

"No," the man replied.

Then it hit her. The man before her was the same one who was beating up the homeless boy in front of the linen store those many months before.

The man, Henry, must've realized the same time Ella did, because he took a step back from her. "Who the heck are you?" Ella asked.

"I'm their grandson," Henry replied, as if he were talking to an idiot.

"You're a jerk," Ella said, lunging at him.

Grace placed a firm hand on Ella's shoulder to keep her back. "It's fine."

"No it's not! He can't just waltz in here and slap you around," Ella argued.

"If I say it's fine, then it's fine. Why don't you go out and check on the chicks?" Grace suggested. It was more of an order than a casual suggestion.

Ella hesitated then went out the back door again, Axel at her heels. She sat on the top rail of the pasture fence. The bay came up and sniffed her, then went back to his grazing. There was a sort of blue anger in Ella's stomach of hatred and anger toward Henry. It was rude to come to your grandparent's home and treat them badly, Ella thought.

She gripped the rail tightly to drain some of her anger and it drained a little bit so she could think straighter. It had been twenty minutes since she'd left the house. Commotion came from the house again. This time, Ella could hear George's voice in the argument. After thinking of what to do, Ella jumped off the fence and ran back to the house.

The sight in front of her was shocking. George and Henry were wrestling while Grace tried to pry them off each other. Henry took a swipe at her and knocked her back against a stool. He was about to throw George into the wall when Ella stepped in.

She pried George's hands off Henry, moving her feet with their movement; much like when a horse moves his feet you move yours. Once there was enough room for her, she got between the two and, with all her might, spun around and got George to let go completely and fall back on a comfy chair. Ella jumped up on Henry's back and pulled his red hair back. Henry grabbed at Ella but lost his balance and fell to his knees. Ella got off him and twisted his arm around his back. Henry twisted out of it and kicked at Ella's knees. Ella turned to miss the swipe but one of her knees got hit. The pain made her want to cry and laugh in pain.

Henry made a break for the door while Ella was handicapped. Not recovered yet, Ella stood up and hobbled after him. He just walked down the path, knowing Ella would be slow. What he didn't know was that Ella was stealthy and didn't ever give into pain.

Ella was three feet behind him when he looked over his shoulder. It took him a moment to process that she was behind him. She tackled Henry's legs so he tripped up and fell on his face. He tried to flip onto his back, and Ella let him. She pinned him to the ground by kneeling over him, her dagger pressed up against his throat.

"Don't, hurt them, ever, again," Ella threatened slowly.

Henry gave a slight nod, the pressure on the dagger increasing. Ella was satisfied by the amount of fear in the grown man's eyes. She smiled with satisfactory and let the poor man up.

"Go!" she ordered.

Henry took off at a run, not looking back.

Ella looked after Henry until he was out of sight. The adrenaline was passing slowly so she could feel the pain in her knee now. She knew she'd more than likely be in trouble when she returned to the house.

George and Grace were cleaning up the mess from the scuffle.

"I'm sorry," Ella apologized as she turned a stool back on its four legs.

"It's alright, dear, no one got hurt," Grace said quietly.

"What did he want?" Ella asked.

"Money, that's all he ever wants. Has a temper to go along with that greed of his," George answered.

"He's a jerk," Ella stated. "No offense."

"None taken."

"Good, I'm going to finish with the plowing," Ella said and left the house.

The sun was poking through the grey clouds now. The bay was amped from the excitement of the morning's events. The plowing was done in half the time so Ella could help with lunch.

**Again, too lazy to edit*sheepish grin* ah well, let me know if there is anything too catastrophic in terms of grammar and what not. i will try to update sooner than i did with this one. R&R?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Oi me what a hectic week with finals and all. But they are over and now you lovely readers have my undivided attention. next chapter and i have a super special surprise for you inside; that gives you incentive to read this. Enjoy!**

For the next month, she fell into the same rut as before. One little glimmer of excitement was that Ella had fashioned a target out of a sack and an old hay bale down by the stone property marker.

Whenever she had free time, Ella spent most of her time down by the stone and river with her dagger and books.

It was the end of May and it was unusually hot out. She had been practicing her knife throwing with her unbalanced dagger for many hours. Finally, taking a break, Ella laid in the warm grass with her book. It was a history of the founding of Araluen, but it had a fictional twist in it. Axel was at her side, twitching in his sleep from a dream he was having.

An hour later, Ella closed her book, that she was now finished with, and headed for the river. Axel stood up groggily and followed Ella obediently. There was a relatively deep pool at the edge of their property that she often swam in.

She waded in up to her stomach then dunked the rest of herself in the chilly blue water. After about five minutes she was freezing and sloshed her way out. Axel had also taken a swim, and he shook himself dry once he was on land.

Ella made her way back to her "training" area. She laid back in the grass, letting the sun dry her. She had gone in the water in her clothes, which was shorts that came above her knee and a t-shirt that had the sleeves cut off and then some so that the straps were an inch thick. Almost always, she wore that when she was by herself.

She dozed in the warmth of the sun when a voice broke her thoughts.

"Ella!" George called from the house.

_Crap_, Ella thought. She gathered up her dagger and book in her pack and made her way up to the house. She pulled her hair back into a messy bun because her hair was still wet, but thankfully her clothes were just damp.

Axel raced ahead of her as they came up the path from the field to the house. The back door was open to hopefully get a draft through the house on this hot day. Ella took her pack into her room, totally oblivious of the people in the kitchen area.

She came out of her room and stopped. "Whoa, there's people here," she said, quite shocked.

Sitting at the kitchen island was a tall blond guy with nearly the same "uniform" as Halt had worn, way back when. He had a slight blond beard and playful blue eyes.

"Ella, this is Gilan, the Ranger of Meric fief," Grace introduced them.

"Nice to meet you, Ella," Gilan said.

"You too?" she didn't mean for it to sound like a question, but her mind was racing.

Gilan chuckled and turned back to his coffee. Ella made her way into the kitchen and poured herself a cup, with extra sugar.

"George and Grace contacted me, well, contacted Arald who contacted Halt who contacted Crowley, but that's not important," Gilan explained. Ella smiled at Gilan. His method of giving information was entertaining. "So, you aren't liking the farm life?"

The question caught Ella off guard. "Well, I do, but I don't," she tried to pick her words carefully.

"They said you showed potential," Gilan continued to explain.

"For what?" Ella scoffed.

"Anything that isn't on a farm," he replied smiling.

Ella liked Gilan very much. "Well, good, thank you for being the first person to realize I can do stuff," Ella said with a bit of sarcasm.

"You're welcome," Gilan matched Ella's level of sarcasm. "Are you coming with me or not?"

Ella gave an incredulous chuckle, then realized he was serious. She looked from Grace, to George, to Gilan, and back to Grace. Both Grace and George had encouragement in their eyes. Gilan was a master at hiding his emotions so Ella couldn't tell really well, but thought that she could see that he wanted her to get out this rut. "I guess so," she shrugged.

"Great, I'll let you pack then we'll be on our way. Thank you for having me Grace and George. I hope to see you again soon," Gilan said, standing up. He left the three of them in the kitchen.

"I'm leaving?" Ella was shocked but excited at the same time.

"Yes, but you'll be in good hands. Gilan is amazing, almost as good as Halt," Grace encouraged Ella.

"Almost, not quite," George winked.

"At least I know I'll be safe," Ella said, turning to her room.

Ella packed her belongings into her pack: her favorite books, her dagger, her flower necklace and as much clothing as she could fit.

She emerged from her room, still not changed from her swim and afternoon. She hugged Grace and George good-bye, with a few tears to join in the goodbyes. Axel licked Ella's fingers and she bent down to hug the dog's neck and rub his belly one more time.

She waved one last time and met up with Gilan who was standing beside a shaggy middle sized bay mare.

Gilan looked at her, "Is that all you need?"

"Yeah, I'm not like other girls who have twelve packs just to go away for the day," Ella said.

"I see. That's a pleasant change. Well, we better get going. It's a long ride back home," Gilan said, taking Ella's pack and latching it to the bay's saddle. Then he mounted and looked down at Ella. She was still in her shorts and tank top. He noticed that she wasn't wearing boots but thin shoes with leather soles and straps over feet to make sandals. He liked this girl because she wasn't afraid to dress like a slut even though she wasn't one. He made a mental note of fixing the girl's fashion choices.

"Are you walking the whole way to Meric fief on foot?" he asked her.

"I'm not?" Ella was so confused from what was happening she just assumed that she would walk.

Gilan held out his hand for her. Ella grasped it and swung up onto the bay behind the saddle. The little horse didn't even seem to notice the extra weight.

"Ella meet Blaze, Blaze meet Ella," Gilan introduced them.

"Hello, Blaze," Ella said, patting Blaze on the rump.

Ella felt really awkward sitting behind Gilan. He was cute but it sort of added to the awkwardness. She didn't hang on to him but used her legs to grasp Blaze's barrel. Blaze didn't seem to care or notice. She had an intelligence to her eyes and demeanor that interested Ella.

They walked in silence for many miles. It wasn't quite midday but the sun beat down on them, not a cloud in the sky. There was a warm breeze that stirred the trees and shrubs next to the road. They were going south east of Redmont fief.

"So, am in some sort of trouble?" Ella asked after hours of silence.

Gilan wasn't caught off guard from the question, he was actually figuring out how to explain the situation. "Nope," he answered.

"That's a relief, but how come I'm not gonna live with George and Grace anymore?"

Gilan sighed, "Because farm life is wasting your potential."

"Potential for what?" Ella asked, still in the dark after Gilan's explanation.

"Halt and Will reported that you showed potential to be a Ranger. I guess Halt knew that you wouldn't survive being on a farm for all your life so he contacted Crowley and now I have an apprentice," Gilan explained slowly.

He evidently was leaving information out that Ella wanted to know. She let out a deep breath to calm her welling frustration. Blaze sensed her frustration and tossed her head, as if to warn Gilan.

"I don't get it," Ella said shaking her head.

"How could you not?" Gilan replied, looking over his shoulder at Ella.

"You're not telling me something that's probably important but I'm not special enough to know what you Rangers are planning," Ella explained quickly.

"There's something I'm not telling you?"

"Yes!"

"How do you know?" Gilan asked, mocking Ella slightly.

"You're picking your words carefully and there's hesitation in your voice. Plus, you keep glancing around like your scanning your mind about what you can and can't say," Ella said.

Gilan was silent for a moment. "You're good."

"Thank you, but I'm guessing that you're not gonna tell me anything more," Ella sighed.

"Nope," Gilan replied, flipping his hood up.

"Fine, shun me. See if I care," Ella said with a touch of sarcasm so she didn't sound like a diva.

Gilan smiled under the cover of his hood. He liked what he saw in Ella and her observational skills. He thought that she was very cute and adorable, but knew that there was a deadly streak in her that was masked by her cuteness and innocence.

**So i didn't want the last little baby paragraph to sound like Gilan likes Ella, he's just noticing Ella's charm and all that. nothing creepy going on there or romantic like that. sorry to disappoint, but i just think that if Ella and Gilan did have a "romantic" relationship it'd be close to the same as if a brother and sister had a romantic relationship... eww... okay, on that lovely note, R&R? :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay so i apologize for last chapter. Ella spoke more modern language and wore terribly terrible clothes not suitable for medieval times. i appreciate the one who pointed that out to Me; you know who you are. I'll make changes to Ella's outfit in this chapter so don't get confused. Enjoy!**

They continued on in silence, not stopping once since they left the farm. The sun was starting to sink finally on the horizon, blessing the land with cooler air. The sun was a fiery orb on the horizon when Gilan started to speak again. "We made good time. We should be home by mid- morning or early afternoon if we hurry."

Ella knew what he was implying and felt a small surge of excitement. "Are you implying that we're going to go fast?" she asked.

"Duh, hang on please. I don't want you getting hurt the first day you're in my care," Gilan joked.

"Right."

Still, Ella didn't touch Gilan. He shook his head and reached back behind him and grabbed Ella's wrists.

"Hey!" Ella interjected.

"I told you to hang on," he said, pulling her arms around his torso.

"Fine," Ella sighed.

"Good, now let's go." Gilan clucked to Blaze and she picked up a smooth canter. Blaze had a rocking-horse canter.

They cantered on for many miles, and Blaze didn't show any signs of exhaustion. The moon rose and was just a sliver in the black sky. It shone brightly thought to give them a little bit of light to travel by.

Gilan pulled Blaze up an hour or so later, allowing her to rest. Gilan and Ella dismounted finally and Gilan loosened Blaze's girth. Ella's knees hurt badly from not moving all day. Gilan was chipper and walked along his horse as if he'd been out for an evening ride for the fun of it. Ella was falling behind so she jogged to catch up with Gilan, her knees protesting with the demanding movement.

Gilan looked down at Ella, she only came up to his chest, and said, "Aren't you cold?"

"Maybe," Ella replied after a moment of thinking. She was still wearing the three-quarter length sleeved shirt and her thinner fabric pants, but she'd let her hair out of the bun. Her red hair was wavier than usual from being up all day. It glimmered slightly in the moonlight.

They walked on in silence for a few miles, Ella's knees starting to get less stiff. They were the only ones on the road at this time of night. There was, surprisingly, activity on one of the farms they were passing. A big horse was rearing up while he was attached to a cart. A man was whipping the horse and yelling.

Ella stopped and looked at the scene. Her gut told her that she knew that horse. She turned off the road and made her way to the horse.

"Ella," Gilan called softly.

Ella ignored him and continued on quietly until she was at the edge of the fence. She was twenty feet from the scene. From the dim moonlight, she could make out a black mane and tail and a lighter body color that was different shades of the same color.

The horse rose and struck out at the man with the whip. He knocked the man over and tried to kick at the cart that was attached behind him.

"Titan?" Ella called softly.

The horse spun his head in Ella's direction and whinnied. Ella smiled and climbed through the fence. The man was groaning on the ground as Ella got closer. She was a few feet from her beloved battle horse, when she felt a strong hand grip her shoulder and jerked her backwards. She thought it was the man and tried to elbow him in the gut. "Not a good idea," a familiar voice, evidently annoyed, whispered behind her.

Ella glanced from Gilan to Titan and back to Gilan again. To her it looked like Gilan was being serious for the first time she had been with him. The man on the ground started to rise. Gilan tugged Ella along beside him. She struggled against his grasp.

They climbed back through the fence as the man was up again and whipping Titan. Ella looked over her shoulder to see Titan rearing up against the man. The man grabbed Titan's bridle and pinned his nose to his girth, bringing Titan down as well as the cart. She looked ahead of her again as Titan neighed in anger and sadness and pain.

Gilan finally let go of Ella's arm when they reached the road. Ella wiped her eyes quickly before Gilan could see that she was crying slightly. He paced back and forth in front of Ella, gathering his thoughts and controlling his irritation.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he said sharply, still pacing.

"I wasn't," Ella replied quietly. She didn't trust her voice enough to say more.

"Clearly! You'd have to be insane to go onto Farmer Dale's property, let alone try and touch his horse," Gilan obviously was angry, if not furious.

"So what if I am insane? Titan's as much as my horse as he is Dale's."

Gilan stopped pacing and faced her. "You know that beast?"

"Yes, didn't Halt tell you that I was almost arrested for stealing a battle horse?" Ella asked sarcastically.

"No, he left that part out," Gilan's tone lightened a little. "You stole that animal?"

"Yes, well, no not exactly," Ella tried to keep her words short so that her voice didn't show any traces of being shaky.

"I see."

There was another terrified neigh in the direction of Farmer Dale's farm; Ella visibly cringed. The sound threatened a memory to be pulled into her head that she had suppressed for many months. "Can we go?" she said quietly.

Gilan nodded, his temper now recovered. They were still giving Blaze a break from being ridden so both of them walked. Ella walked beside Gilan but a few inches back so he couldn't see her face as easily.

They walked in silence for a while when it was broken by the sound of wood breaking and thundering hoof beats and shouts. Ella's mind was racing to that morning of the Choosing when she was being escorted by Halt and they went down to the stable. She remembered the crazed look in Titan's eyes of fear and longing, maybe. Then her mind took her to when Titan was sweaty with his stomach illness and how she had spent the night with him; that memorable night. She remembered his smooth stride and his rippling muscles. The scene changed to when she had yelled at Kyle and was being beaten up by Herbert and Kyle.

Gilan was completely unaware of the thoughts going through Ella's head. He glanced down at her after she sighed a shaky sigh. Admittedly, Gilan had no clue what to say or do to help Ella if she needed it.

He stopped Blaze and tightened her girth. He mounted first then offered his hand for Ella to mount. She swung on easily enough and wrapped her arms around Gilan without hesitation.

"I'm sorry. It was ignorant of me," Ella apologized after a few minutes.

"It's all good, no one got hurt," Gilan said automatically.

"Actually two got hurt," Ella mumbled.

"What was that?" Gilan asked.

"Nothing," Ella sighed.

Blaze kept up a steady walk. The motion lulled Ella so she rested her head on Gilan's shoulder. She readjusted her grip across Gilan's torso, feeling his six pack in the process. She was asleep in seconds and didn't wake until light was filtering through her eyelids.

**I hope that was more appropriate for the time period. umm... That's all i have to say, i guess. wow. okay, R&R?**


	15. Chapter 15

**I am ridiculously sorry I took so long! What with super bowl weekend and horse stuff and homework, I just couldn't find the time:( Now I'm back with a longerish chapter and I will make the chapters longer and more interesting; somehow, someway I will. Enjoy!**

They were still walking along the same road it seemed, but the scenery was different. Instead of cedars, there were oaks. And instead of ferns, there were black berry bushes and other leafy shrubs. There were also small mountains on the horizon.

"Morning, sleepy head," Gilan smiled.

"Morning," Ella mumbled. "Where are we?"

"Welcome to Meric Fief. At the edge of the Western Wood, fifty miles from Redmont and seventy five miles from the Celtica border," Gilan explained.

Ella nodded in approval. "Nice. I like it."

They dismounted again and walked for many miles. Ella was very tired and cold. She'd only slept a few hours, and it wasn't even a good sleep. Her cloak was buried at the bottom of her pack, and she didn't want to waste time unpacking it all and repacking it.

Gilan looked at Ella, who had her arms crossed and her eyes were half closed. He unclipped his cloak and handed it to Ella. He could see that she was going to protest, and he said, "Take it."

Ella shrugged and tried not to seem too eager in getting the cloak. Gladly, she clipped it around her neck and pulled it close around her. There wasn't need for a verbal "thanks," it was evident.

For the first time, without his cloak, Ella noticed all of Gilan's weapons: a long bow, a sword, a quiver of twelve arrows, and a double scabbard with a throwing knife and a bigger knife.

With nothing better to do, Ella calculated how long they had been traveling. It took her many minutes, but that's just because her head wasn't functioning well, and in the end she came up with two and a half days. They were going on the third, when Ella saw the small castle of Meric.

It was smaller than Redmont and made of a grey stone. The one tower in the middle, the Baron's quarters no doubt, stood about thirty feet taller than the other four towers. The wall held many guards, as did the turrets.

Gilan led the way around the outskirts of town onto a narrower road. They walked along for a while when they came to a large clearing. In the center of the clearing was a small cottage, much like George and Grace's home, with a covered porch. To the side of the house, was a small three stall barn. There was also a large pasture that ran along the perimeter of the clearing.

The gate was open to the pasture, so Gilan un-tacked Blaze and she knew where the pasture was and hight-tailed it to the food bin. Ella carried Blaze's bridle and followed Gilan into the barn. There was a small tack room, only 8 feet by 5 feet, with a spare halter, another saddle, supplies, and other random barn stuff.

Gilan threw hay and grain into Blaze's stall. Blaze trotted up and stuck her nose into the hay pile, snorting.

By now, Ella was dead tired and struggled to keep her eyes open and her feet moving. Gilan noted that Ella was exhausted so he graciously carried her pack into the small house.

Inside the house was, surprisingly, neat. Ella thought that Gilan's home would be messy since he was a bachelor. Living in the woods. The front door led into an open room that was the living room/kitchen/dining room. There were three doors off the main room. Two bedrooms and one study. The main room was living room like; with a low couch and two chairs at each end of the couch with a coffee table in between. They were angled to face a raised stone hearth. The wood inside the fireplace was black and charred. It wasn't very colorful, mostly browns and grays, with the occasional green.

"Your room," Gilan said leading Ella to the door at the back of the house.

It was on the small side, but was enough room for Ella. The bed had a thin mattress and a few pillows. There were only a few blankets folded on the end of the bed. The dresser was at the foot of the bed, squishing the bed between it and the wall. There was a mirror on the wall next to the door, along with bookshelves next to it. A candle stand with a new candle sat on the bedside table.

The window above her bed opened out to a view of the pasture. It also looked out to a small glimpse of the castle. Ella realized that the window was on the side that the sun went down on, her most favorite part of the day.

"Sweet," Ella said.

"Good, I'm going to make some coffee then we can head out to the Castle," Gilan said, closing Ella's door.

As soon as the door was closed, Ella fell on her bed. It wasn't as comfy as the one at George and Grace's. She realized that she was still wearing Gilan's cloak, so she unclipped it and attempted to fold it. Her plan was to just lay**(or is it lie?)** on the bed for a few minutes; no more, no less. The next thing she knew, she was being shaken awake.

"Ella, Ella, get up, please. Coffee out in the kitchen," she heard Gilan bribe.

"Umup," she mumbled.

"No you're not," Gilan said, and pulled Ella off the bed so she fell on the floor.

"Hey! Ow!" she yelped when she hit the hard floor.

"I hope this isn't a reoccurring habit we're going to acquire," Gilan said mock seriously, going back out to the living room with his cloak in hand.

Ella sighed heavily as she got up off the floor. Before coming out of her room, she glanced in the mirror. She decided to let her hair down and ran her fingers through it a few times.

Once out of her room, Ella was overwhelmed with the lovely scent of coffee. She made a beeline for the pot on the counter. She poured a cup of coffee and chugged half of it. This coffee was probably the best coffee she'd ever had in her life. It had an earthy taste to it but sweetness also, which Ella didn't understand completely; all she knew was that it was a delicious dark drink.

Ella leaned against the counter, sipping the remaining coffee in her cup like a lady would. That lasted five seconds and she resorted to gulping it again.

"You have such manners," Gilan noted, coming out of his room on the other side of the house.

"Why thank you," Ella replied, nodding her head instead of curtseying.

Gilan chuckled then poured more coffee for himself. He stood opposite of Ella, studying her because she was staring off into space and totally oblivious. On their trip down to Meric fief, he had noticed many of her scars, from fights no doubt. He liked what he saw in her eyes: intelligence and passion. They were also a lovely green color. Yet he sensed that there was something deeper in Ella that she wasn't letting anyone see. Her small stature was adorableand her auburn hair made her seem much more mature. When she wasn't tired, Gilan noted that she was energetic; as if she were on a caffeine buzz all the time. She always had witty responses that were well thought through. Overall, Gilan really liked Ella and the potential he saw in her.

Ella snapped out of her trance and looked into her empty cup. She set it in the sink then jumped up onto the counter. She sat there, looking at Gilan, waiting for an order. Gilan was at least six feet tall, and his blue eyes were friendly and playful. His short, sandy blond hair didn't come past his ears and was somewhat spiked so it was styled in a way. He was very muscular in a lean way, as Ella had experienced and now saw in him.

Gilan finished his coffee then got his cloak off a peg by the door. Ella retreated to her room and found her cloak. She pulled her boots on then met Gilan on the porch.

"What are we doing?" she asked sweetly.

"Going to the castle. I just told you that like twenty minutes ago," Gilan said, heading off towards the road.

"Oh, right!" Ella followed Gilan, suddenly energized from the coffee burst and cat-nap.

Ella had to walk double-time to keep up with Gilan's long stride. The walk to the castle was, well, longer than Ella had expected. It seemed fairly close from her window. Apparently she misjudged the distance.

When they reached Castle Meric, the sun had already passed noon and was slowly descending, casting their dark shadows out. Gilan nodded to the guards at the gate and they allowed them to go through. The courtyard was grey cobblestone that had been smoothed down after years of weathering. Ella saw a group of girls huddled together under a blossoming cherry tree. Across the way was a group of boys that were well dressed. Ella guessed that they were either Ward kids or they were just loitering.

Gilan glanced at Ella and saw the look of disgust on her face and he grinned. He led the way to the center tower and held the door open for Ella.

"Such a gentleman," she joked in a friendly way.

Gilan just shrugged and led the way up. Ella was used to climbing stairs and climbing in general, but these stairs seemed never ending! By the time they got to the middle of the Baron's quarters, Ella was exhausted again. The coffee buzz was wearing off fast.

They exited the stair well and entered a small corridor of grey stone and plushy carpets layered on the floor. There was a secretary station at the double doors to the Baron's study. The secretary was nowhere to be seen. It didn't bother Gilan, he just walked right up to the doors and opened them. Ella followed Gilan into a plain study.

The back of the room was a wall of books while the other two were almost all window, looking out over the castle and valley. Sitting at an oak desk, was a small man dressed in red and purple. His pants were purple and his vest was red and under that his shirt was white. The man had graying hair that showed signs of it once being black. He had a trimmed beard and dull blue eyes, they looked like mud compared to Gilan's bright ocean blue eyes, Ella thought.

She took all that in within a few seconds before Gilan stepped forward to the Baron.

"Baron Roland, it's nice to see you again," Gilan said, in his cheery way that could make a thunderstorm smile.

The Baron was silent for a moment, finishing reading the paper that was in front of him. "Hello me boy! It's good to see you've made it back in once piece," Baron Roland spoke with wisdom and feeling. If trees could talk, they'd sound like him, Ella thought.

"Thankfully it wasn't that dangerous of a mission," Gilan said, plopping down in one of the luxurious comfy chairs in front of the Baron's desk. He patted the chair next to him for Ella to sit in.

After many months of not having to be in an environment with important people, Ella was a little rusty on the protocol. She went with the plan of being seen and not heard. Once she sat down, she struggled to keep her eyes open. She didn't pay much attention, though she kept thinking that she needed to. From the bits of conversation she did pay attention to, it was about the weather, how they were doing, what was in store for the rest of the year and other business stuff.

Gilan turned to Ella and saw that she was completely tuning them out and was in her own world.

"Is Crowley here yet?" he asked Roland.

"He should, I could've sworn I saw him talking to my secretary this morning," Roland replied, getting up from his chair and made his way towards the double doors. He yelled something unintelligible out into the corridor, followed by a muffled reply.

Roland reappeared a moment later, followed by another tall fellow. Ella was aroused from her trance for a brief moment to see who the new member in the room was. The man was tall, almost as tall as Gilan. He had black hair that had silver mixed into the black mass. His beard was scruffy and he wore the same uniform as Gilan. Ella caught the name of the man but it didn't register.

"Gilan," Crowley greeted.

"Crowley," Gilan returned.

"I'm guessing this is Ella?"

"You've guessed correctly," Gilan said, punching Ella lightly on the shoulder. Only he and Ella knew it was to wake her from her trance.

"Nice to meet you, sir," Ella nodded.

Crowley nodded. "Do you know what you're doing here?"

"Can't say I do, sir," Ella replied after a moment of thought. "But, apparently I was being rescued from farm life so I can use my skills for something else. Skills that I am unaware of, unless it's milking a cow or painting fences, but you all seem to think I'm important so I must be." She wittily added.

Gilan and Crowley exchanged glances. "We've been waiting for one of you for a very long time," Crowley said, going over a paper Roland had handed him.

"One of what?" Ella was surprised and nervous by the response.

"Gilan didn't tell you?"

Ella shot Gilan a confused glance. "No, sir, he didn't."

"Oh, well, you're going to be a sort of undercover investigator when we need to get information in enemy territory," Crowley replied.

Ella sat there, still processing the news she just received. "Okay. Interesting. But, why?"

"Good question. You can infiltrate enemy territory because you're a girl and appear to be the most innocent, the most unlikely to be discovered. Plus, you have a majority of the qualities of a Ranger."

Ella just nodded. "When do I start?"

**So...? did you like it? sorry about all the details. i'm a wordy person:) i'll update a lot sooner, only if you want me to though. i can stop this story if you guys don't like it. I'm not saying i will but i want to please you all. R&R?**


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry people for taking so long, i'm a lazy bum. Well, i don't know if this is a filler or what but please enjoy and don't hate me too much for taking so long. i actually enjoy living;) **

The cold air of winter bit at Ella's fingers and nose. Her eyes scanned the ground in front of her and in her peripheral vision. She didn't move her head under the hood of her cloak, as Gilan had engraved in her head.

She was leading the way to the small clearing where the targets were. Gilan, who was amazing at moving without being seen, was making barely audible footfalls in the mushy snow. Ella could tell he was behind her still because there was the occasional shift in his weight when he almost, _almost_, lost his balance.

This expedition was, as Gilan called it, "a refresher." Ella had just gotten back from a mission to a small castle in Celtica. She was going undercover to see what the feuding households were arguing about. It was a petty gripe and she was only there for a few weeks.

Whenever Ella had to go on a mission, she always had to stay in that place for a long time. She needed to create her character and build relationships so she could reap the information out of the superiors and people.

The trip to Celtica was a success and there's nothing for Araluen to worry about, just some added border protection. So far, after five missions, Ella hadn't gotten figured out. Each trip she had a new alias. Her favorite part of the missions were making the character up and acting like them.

Right now, Ella was proving to Gilan that she hadn't become "rusty" in her training. So far, so good. They were only a few yards from the entrance to the clearing. Ella didn't feel like going the direct route, straight out into the open. She kept walking, past the worn down path that she'd come to know and love. The ground was covered in mushy, wet snow that had turned to brown yuck from the mud. Luckily, the ground was damp so there was less of a chance of there being a sound from her footsteps.

A cedar was in the center of her track, so Ella sidestepped around it cautiously. She rested her hand on the red bark of the tree, to keep her balanced. Her hand came to something thin, stringy and it stuck to her. She drew her hand off of the tree, not really worried about what she'd just touched, and entered the clearing from a break in the interlocking branches.

Gilan was standing in the clearing, nodding in approval. Ella grinned and threw her hood back. She felt something tickling her hand. She glanced down and saw a relatively large spider crawling up her arm.

She screamed and shook her arms frantically. The spider flew off and Ella stamped it into the ground. "Gross!" she said, wiping her hand on her pants.

Gilan just looked at her in disbelief and laughed. "Haven't changed at all, have you?"

"Nope, and I'm proud of it," Ella said, unslinging her bow off her back.

She walked up to Gilan and stood in front of him. He looked her up and down, like he always did after one of her missions. "I think you're taller," he said, after his evaluation.

"No, you just shrank. You're getting old, Gil," Ella replied.

Gilan chuckled and patted Ella on the head.

The rest of the day consisted of drills with the throwing knife, saxe knife, and bow. Gilan liked what he saw. Ella had incredible focus, strength and a "do it right the first time" attitude. Her skills with the bow were improving every session, but they were still considered mediocre in the Ranger world. Although when Ella did mess up, she beat herself up about it; Gilan was still working with her on that aspect.

By the end of the day, Ella was drenched in sweat and dirty. It wasn't the best outcome because it was freezing and the sweat practically froze. Gilan was bored from all the walking and training, so he decided to have a race back home. Ella thought it was unfair because he was tall and had longer legs. She played along with it still, and ended up losing, just as she thought.

Ella hadn't been home since she got back from Celtica. Gilan had met her at Castle Meric and made her go and practice. Ella didn't complain, but now she wish she had. Gilan occasionally gave into her complaining, but that was rare.

"You hungry?" Gilan asked as soon as he stepped foot into the cabin.

"Do you still have to ask?" Ella replied, carrying her pack to her room.

It hadn't changed much, but there were flowers in a vase on her night table and a new book on her bed. Ella read the first page of the text then placed it on her book shelf. She glanced out her door to see if Gilan had started cooking. He hadn't. Ella gathered up some dry clothes and her towel.

"Taking Blaze to the pond. I'll be back by dinner," Ella called as she opened the front door and exited the homely cabin.

She knew that Gilan would understand where she was going. It their little code for her going down to the creek to bathe. It was much less awkward than actually saying it flat out. The sun was starting to set, so Ella hurried out to the barn to get Blaze.

"Hey, girl," she whispered as she entered the small barn.

Blaze poked her bay head over the stall door and whinnied. Ella grabbed a carrot from the bag in the tack room.

Ella fed Blaze the carrot and retrieved Blaze's bridle from the tack room. She folded her towel like a saddle blanket over Blaze's back. Ella led Blaze out of the barn and mounted. She grabbed some mane and leaped up onto Blaze's back."That's a girl," Ella said, urging Blaze into a trot.

Instead of going to their usual water place, Ella went farther downstream where there was a deeper pool. In the winter it was tinted blue from an unknown mountain stream. Ella dismounted and let Blaze stand as a sort of screen between. She bathed quickly because the water was freezing. She wrapped herself in the towel that had been on Blaze's back. It was warm from the pony's body heat.

Ella leaned against Blaze's shoulder and let the extra heat help dry her. When only her hair was wet, Ella changed into her spare clothes. She clipped her cloak on too, and then tied her hair up in a high ponytail. Ella mounted Blaze again, and turned to the road.

The sun was almost on the horizon, and the sky was rapidly turning from grey to black. Once they were on the road, Ella urged Blaze into a canter. Blaze was excited to go faster, and so was Ella. They used each other's excitement for the amount of energy needed to accelerate. Before Ella knew it, they were galloping.

Luckily, there weren't many carts or people on the road so Ella didn't have to worry as much about control. They galloped on until Ella realized they had passed the path that lead to Gilan's. Ella brought Blaze back to a walk and turned toward home.

Ella thought about the people she had met on her latest mission. They were very polite and seemed to have liked Ella, though Celticans were mysterious when it came to newcomers. She wondered what her next mission would be.

"I doubt I'll have another until after the Gathering," Ella said to Blaze. Blaze flicked an ear back at Ella's voice.

Ella talked more to Blaze on the way back home. Ella heard a cart coming up the road at a fast pace. She glanced back to see if she knew the person. The cart came around the bend in the road and it felt like she'd been smacked in the face with realization. The skinny, scruffy horse pulling the overloaded cart was none other than Titan. His buckskin color was faded and washed out. The man in the cart was fat and whipped Titan when he stumbled or slackened his already fast canter. The cart was loaded in barrels and crates that were overflowing.

Ella felt a surge of rage toward the man and a wave of sadness toward her beloved battle horse. Then her Ranger training kicked in. He was never actually mine, and he's in the hands of a different person, it's not my problem, she thought strictly.

The cart passed and Ella saw the recognition in Titan's eyes when he passed her. _I'm sorry Titan_, she thought. And just like that, they were gone.

Ella didn't linger in that place on the road, knowing people could get suspicious if they were watching and she didn't want to linger in her thoughts either.

* * *

"Hey, I was wondering when you'd get back," Gilan said as Ella came in the house.

"What? Oh, yeah, sorry. I was just taking Blaze for a ride," she replied as she disappeared into her room.

Gilan stood for a moment, staring at Ella's closed door. _I'll never understand girls_, he thought as he started getting ingredients for food.

It had been an hour at least since Ella had gotten home. Gilan, still stirring the stew, tossed a boot at Ella's door.

"What?" she said with irritation.

"Dinner," Gilan replied, brushing off her tone.

"Oh, alright," she sighed, relaxing slightly.

Gilan served each with a bowl of piping hot stew. They ate in silence, partly because Gilan didn't have anything new to say and he sensed that Ella was in no talking mood.

"Gil," Ella suddenly said, when her bowl was completely empty.

"Yes?" he replied, looking at Ella.

"I can tell you anything, right?" Ella saw Gilan hesitate, then added, "at least to a certain extent."

"Oh, yeah, anything," Gilan shrugged, now that the air was clear between them.

"Good," Ella sighed. She didn't speak for a few minutes to figure out how to phrase what she wanted to say. "So, remember the weekend you came to pick me up?" she saw Gilan nod then continued. "okay so, one of the nights I went onto Farmer Dale's property." She waited for Gilan to nod in recollection. "and there was that horse," she faltered slightly on the phrase.

"And?" Gilan prodded, because Ella had stopped speaking.

"Forget it, it's not important actually. You done?" she shook her head and stood up.

Gilan let her take his dish and sat at the table long after Ella had retreated to her room. _I'm so lost_, he thought, resting his head in his hands.

* * *

Titan felt the sting of the whip hit his rump, the pull of the wagon behind him and the ache in his knees. His harness was too tight so he couldn't pull properly. They were half way up the hill and Titan was losing his energy and strength. The sting of the whip came again and the man in the wagon yelled at him.

Trying to put his head down to aid him in the pulling, he felt quick stings on his rump and up his back. Finally, not able to take it anymore, Titan's knees buckled underneath him. He fell and the wagon was tipped on its side, sending the man and the goods rolling down the hill.

The side of the harness dug into Titan's side as he laid there, longing for the warm touch of the girl he knew to trust.

**Hmmm? Do you like it? you better 'cause i've kept you waiting long enough. R&R? if you'd like, you don't have to since i treated you guys to badly:(**


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